The US House of Representatives delivered a stern warning to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) late Tuesday, as it overwhelmingly approved a bill calling for sanctions against it, if it "fails to honor" a CIA-brokered ceasefire, said AFP.
The $15.2 billion foreign aid bill, passed by the House by 381 votes to 46, contains language that requires President George W. Bush to determine whether the PLO is taking steps to curb violence.
If he cannot make such a determination, he must either close the Palestinian information office in Washington, or designate the PLO, or one of its constituent groups, a terrorist organization, or limit assistance to the West Bank and Gaza.
"I believe this provision strikes the middle ground and sends the right message to the Palestinians and their leaders, and that is 'Comply with your commitments regarding renunciation of terror and violence, and then no sanctions will be imposed'," said Republican Jim Kolbe, chairman of the House subcommittee on foreign operations.
Vowing to stand by Israel, the House approved $2.04 billion in military assistance to the Jewish state for fiscal 2002, a $60 million increase over the previous year, which ends on September 30, the agency added.
But economic aid to Israel was cut by $120 million, to $720 million, compared to the fiscal 2001 level, in line with a mutually agreed policy of reducing economic assistance in light of Israel's economic success.
Despite criticism from some members, military aid to Egypt was preserved at last year's $1.3 billion level.
But economic assistance to Cairo was pared down by $40 million, to $655 million, AFP added.
Military-economic aid to Jordan was maintained at $225 million.
The vote came as unrest continued unabated in the Occupied Territories, despite the ceasefire agreement brokered by CIA Director George Tenet.
A 15-year-old youth, Mohammed Nasser Mohammed Swalih, was seriously wounded when Israeli tanks opened fire north of the Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, said the Palestinian news agency, WAFA.
It added that the Israeli army opened fire on a refugee camp in the area of the West Bank city of Hebron. According to the reports, several special Israeli units conducted house to house searches, including the home of Jabar Titi, who is wanted by the security forces, said Haaretz newspaper.
In another development, an Israeli woman was killed Tuesday night and a Palestinian injured when unidentified individuals threw stones at cars in the West Bank, causing an accident, Israeli police said, cited by Haaretz.
A Palestinian taxi driver swerved after a stone hit his windshield and collided head-on with another vehicle driven by an Israeli woman, near the Jewish settlement of Emmanuel in the northeast of the West Bank.
The sources said the woman died instantly but did not say whether she came from Israel or from a settlement. The taxi driver was injured and taken to an Israeli hospital.
The police have yet to determine whether the stones were thrown by Palestinians, who often target settlers in their cars, or by settlers attacking Palestinian vehicles – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
