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03 January 2008
State’s Goldberger Discusses U.S. Commitment to Palestinian People
USINFO Webchat transcript, January 3
Thomas Goldberger, director of the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, answered questions -- following the November Annapolis Conference -- in a January 3 USINFO Webchat on the U.S. commitment to the Palestinian people.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
USINFO Webchat Transcript
After Annapolis: The U.S. Commitment to the Palestinian People
Guest: Thomas Goldberger
Date: Thursday, January 3, 2008
Time: 9:00 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT)
Moderator: Welcome to our webchat. Today is January 3, 2008. The live discussion will begin at 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT.
You may begin sending in your questions now. We will begin shortly. Welcome to our discussion!
Thomas Goldberger: Supporting the Palestinian economy and building the institutional capacity of the Palestinian Authority government was one of three work assignments that came out of the Annapolis Conference.
In a meeting organized by the French government in Paris, France, on December 17, over 90 countries pledged a total of more than $7 billion that will be delivered to the Palestinian Authority (PA) over the coming three years. These funds will support the PA's annual budget and will help finance economic projects that create jobs for the Palestinian people. The funds will also support the PA's ability to provide basic services, such as health, security, and education to Palestinian citizens in the most effective way.
This money will help finance a three-year financial and investment plan for the Palestinian Authority that was developed by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and his team. This plan, called the "Palestinian Reform and Development Plan," is a transparent budget document that sets economic priorities and goals for the Palestinian people and lays out a clear path to economic growth and job creation. Prime Minister Fayyad developed this plan with the support of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has devoted an impressive amount of his vast experience and international prestige to this important effort.
To be part of this international effort, the United States made an unprecedented pledge of $555 million dollars. Of this total, $150 million will be cash that will help the Palestinian Authority meet its annual budget needs. The remainder will come as development projects implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and by international organizations like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). This is in addition other U.S. Government initiatives that support private sector development in the West Bank and Gaza, including in partnership with the U.S. private sector. Detailed information on the U.S. pledge is available here.
Secretary Rice said in her official intervention at the Paris conference: "This is the most promising opportunity to seek peace that we have had in nearly seven years. And we need to seize it. We need to support both parties in their efforts to end the conflict and to make peace. Words and promises of support are helpful, but that alone is insufficient. Progress requires action, and it requires tangible financial assistance for Prime Minister Fayyad’s government." As we look ahead, it will be important that countries deliver on their commitments and that the Palestinian Authority use these funds wisely so that Palestinian citizens soon see tangible improvements in their daily lives.
QUESTION [YMedad]: The Palestinian Authority has a bad economic reputation. Many hundreds of millions in aid were lost through corruption, theft and misappropriations. In 1997, the PA received $548,727,000 from the international donor community. It also received more than $800 million in tax revenues collected by Israel from Palestinian Arabs. At the end of 1997, when the PA released its annual financial report, $323 million – nearly 40% of the annual budget – was "missing." The situation since then has only gotten worse. Members of the U.S. Congress have expressed concern that the aid package support does not contain enough effective oversight measures to ensure the money doesn't end up in the wrong hands. Congressman Gary Ackerman was quoted saying, "The administration's proposal lacks any kind of performance-based conditionality". Why is the post-Annapolis economic scheme to be different? And if it isn’t, will the US and EU continue to throw good money after bad? – Yisrael Medad, Shiloh
ANSWER [Thomas Goldberger]: Hello and thank you for the excellent question to get us started. You are certainly right that international assistance has not been effectively used by the Palestinians in the past. This time, we think things are different for two reasons: the Palestinian Prime Minister has developed, and the international community has endorsed, a comprehensive economic plan and budget. This plan is transparent and open to review, and it sets priorities like any government budget.
Secondly, the United States has put stringent internal and auditing controls in place to ensure that money does not end up in the wrong hands.
Moderator: For those of you just joining us, welcome. Mr. Goldberger is now reviewing your questions. We invite your comments and questions.
Q: [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: Hello Mr. Thomas. Welcome again, we found important information in your last discussion.
Ms. Condoleezza Rice has been very active in Middle East and working hard for Arab-Israel conflict and for the whole Middle East region, we appreciate her efforts.
Q: [YMedad]: According to a recent report published by CAMERA, statistics on Palestinian homicides and on foreign aid to Gaza and the West Bank reveal that as aid increased to the Palestinian government, so too did the numbers of people (both Israeli and Palestinian) killed by Palestinian militants. At the same time, there was an inverse correlation between an increase in foreign aid and Palestinian economic growth. Increased budgetary aid to the Palestinian government after the start of the second Intifada in September 2000 was accompanied by a corresponding increase in the number of Palestinian homicides in 2001 and 2002. The argument for increasing foreign aid stems from the belief that the way to defeat radicalism is to eliminate its ostensible cause – poverty and ignorance. Claude Berrebi of Princeton University analyzed Palestinian terrorism and determined that "if anything ... those with higher education and higher living standards are more likely to participate in terrorist activity" ("Evidence About the Link Between Education, Poverty and Terrorism Among Palestinians," Rand Corporation, 2003).
Given this research and data, how will the U.S. assure that a further input of aid money will not result in a similar increase in violence and terror?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: This question seems similar to the one I just responded to. There is no question that economic conditions for the Palestinians have deteriorated severely in the past seven years despite foreign assistance. There are controls in place to ensure that U.S. and international money is not misused, and the PA's budget is transparent an open to monitoring.
Q: [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: Dear Mr. Goldberger, what role does MEPI (Middle East Partnership Initiative) playing in support of Palestinian State, despite the ethnical and religious discrimination in roots of Palestinian Society?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: MEPI is sponsoring several small-scale programs intended to promote democratic reforms and openness within the Palestinian political system.
Q: [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: Mr. Golberger, what results Donor Conference generated in December? Would you like to share? Was it up to the mark you were expecting or does it still has miles to go?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: Thanks for your questions. I believe my opening statement answered some of them. The large amount of financial contributions in Paris was very welcome. Donor countries committed over $7 billion in assistance over the next three years. This is actually more than the need identified in the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan.
Going forward, it is important that donor countries follow through on their pledges and that the Palestinians use the funds for the purposes for which they are intended and undertake the reforms to which they have committed. The Palestinian Authority also needs to meet its on-going expenditures, such as paying utility bills, rents and salaries and supplies. They need cash assistance in order to do this.
Moderator: During yesterday's USINFO Webchat, Laura Schulz of MEPI was our guest. A transcript of the discussion is available at: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2008&m=January&x=20080102125102eaifas0.3405878
Q: [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: Dear Mr. Goldberger, in formation of the Palestinian state, the stakeholders of Palestinian Society, i.e. Hamas, PLO, Lebanon Militia. How much they cooperating to develop them as a nation?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: Like any people, the Palestinian people come from varying backgrounds and have different believes and affiliations. A democratic system is open to all who reject violence and respect human rights.
Q: [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: How do you measure the performance of your department in resolution of Arab-Israel conflict? Do you have any specific Website which could inform people about the activities in this context? Why not to launch a separate website for this issue, which could record all updates and efforts in this regard.
A [Thomas Goldberger]: Thank you for that good suggestion. The State Department's website has much information on U.S. policy.
I'd also refer you to USAID's website on its West Bank Gaza program.
Q: [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: I was going through yesterday's IIP web chat of MEPI. They could play a vital role in the steps after Annapolis. Instead American Corners are taking very good initiatives to propagate diversity and harmony in this region.
A [Thomas Goldberger]: I'm very glad to hear that, thank you.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: Dear Sir, what role is Palestinian NGOs playing to help U.S. Government to build up a more educated and literate society in Palestine? Kindly also share what role you think they should play in achieving after effects of Annapolis Conference?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: Civil society and NGOs do have an important role to play in any society. Perhaps this is especially the case among the Palestinians. There are many active Palestinian NGOs, including working in the field of education. Important work in this area is also done by the UN's Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) and the United States also supports education programs.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: Dear Sir, this conflict was on the agenda of UN since 1967 Arab-Israel war. The U.S. government efforts put them onto the roadmap of peace, what MUST BE role the United Nation has to play to resolve this Arab-Israel conflict?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: I agree that the United Nations must have a role in resolving this conflict. The Secretary General of the United Nations is a very active member in the "Quartet," which also includes Russia, the European Union and the United States. The Quartet meets regularly, most recently in Paris also on December 17, and ensures that the international community, through all its resources, supports efforts to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Moderator: Today's webchat is Mr. Goldberger's second chat focused on the results of the Annapolis conference. Read the full transcript of his first discussion.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: Do you see the sincere efforts from Palestinians and Israelis to resolve this issue? They agree on the table, but both negate at ground what they promised. Do you think that kind of approach could lead towards a solution?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: I think you understand the problem very well. It is very important that there be progress on the ground that supports the progress in the negotiations "at the table." And progress "at the table" also helps make things better on the ground. This was the key point of the Paris meeting: that improvements in daily life for Palestinians are important to sustain negotiations. At the same time, Israelis must see benefits, including in the form of increasing security.
Q [DARKAOUI-OUJDA-MOROCCO]: Are you convinced of the practicality of the U.S. Commitments to the Palestinian People?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: Yes, thanks. I think you will find a lot of information about those commitments in the material at the beginning of this webchat. The U.S. approach is very practical, and is designed to ensure that the benefits of U.S. assistance reach to all levels of society.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan – LC Karachi]: How much Palestinian society is ready to march towards the peace efforts? How much they are ready to rise as a democratic and peaceful nation while in the West, they are commonly assumed to have a face with terrorism?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: I believe that the majority of Palestinians, like the majority of Israelis, are committed to peace and reject political violence and terrorism. The leaders of both societies made that clear in the “Joint Understanding” they reached during the Annapolis Conference. Like people everywhere, Palestinian people are, I believe, seeking a better tomorrow. The majority see that in the end of the occupation that began in 1967 and creation of a Palestinian state that lives side by side with Israel in peace and security.
Q [DARKAOUI-OUJDA-MOROCCO]: Do not you see that the USA is contributing in the constructions of the walls instead of bridges between the Israelis and the Palestinian people by surrendering to the Israeli lobby?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: No, I'm sorry I don't see that, in either respect. The United States has been working for years to promote bridges between the Palestinians and the Israelis. And I believe that the United States does this because it is in our national interest to do so.
Q [Oujda American Corner – Morocco]: What are the challenges you are facing in your humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: That's an excellent question. We are especially concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Only limited supplies of food and medicine have been able to enter Gaza since Hamas expelled the legitimate Palestinian Authority government last June. The international community, including the United States, has been able to continue to provide goods to meet the most basic needs in Gaza, but more is needed.
The Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, recently proposed that the PA take over running the crossings between Gaza and Israel. The Quartet supported that in its December 17 meeting. We hope that this will happen, as it will allow more necessary food, medicine, and supplies to reach the innocent people of Gaza.
Q [Oujda American Corner – Morocco]: Will Hamas followers also benefit from your humanitarian assistance?
A [Thomas Goldberger]: I'm not sure who you mean by "Hamas followers." Humanitarian assistance is provided on a humanitarian basis.
Thanks to everybody for all the good questions.
Moderator: We wish to thank Thomas Goldberger for joining us today. The webchat is now closed.
A full transcript of today's webchat will be available on our USINFO Webchat Station homepage usually within one business day.
(end transcript)
