Al-Ayaam, Ramallah, February 15
An American tourist travelling around the world in search for the positive impact his country’s foreign aid has provided will struggle with what he finds. U.S. funds and aid money encourage dependence on others and adversely affect the economic well-being of many countries. It causes decreased productivity and even limited self-sufficiency. It leads to laziness and reduces creativity. Foreign aid is first granted innocently, but it quickly becomes a powerful tool for growing U.S. involvement in the internal affairs of the recipient state. Slowly, the United States intervenes and influences decision-makers in these countries, often attracting some to work in its security services. Soon enough, the country becomes a hub for U.S. intelligence. A few years later, the state falls completely into the hands of the United States, which can change its government at any time it deems appropriate. The U.S. financial aid to the Palestinian Authority is no different. The American aid to the Palestinian people was designed from the very outset to serve the Zionist entity at the expense of the people of Palestine. People first celebrated this aid because they were lured by the benefits of the Oslo Agreement and the money it brought into the West Bank. But what most people didn’t notice is that the American aid was directed almost exclusively to the Palestinian security services, which were entrusted with disarming the Palestinian people and defending Zionists from the evils of so-called terrorists. Therefore, the American decision to cut aid to Palestine is great news. It is a wake-up call that we all needed. It will push the Palestinian people to be more reliant and creative. It will encourage local production and consumption. But most importantly, it will allow us to finally rid ourselves of any fake commitments to America. We will be able to call things as they are and restore our ability to make our own decisions. The less aid money we receive from the United States, the freer and less corrupt we are. Eliminating this aid provides us with more liberty to stand up to the Israeli occupation and renew our battle to liberate our lands. –Abd al-Sattar Kassem