http://www.bridgesforpeace.com/publications/dispatch/betweenthelines/A rticle-22.html
CIA Trained PA Snipers With Israeli Knowledge
(DFJ-Sep/Oct '01) Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer acknowledged on July 1, 2001, that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) trained PLO death squads in the United States with the approval of the Barak Government and Mr. Shimon Peres, currently Foreign Minister in the Sharon Government and formerly Minister of Regional Cooperation in the Barak Government.
Ben-Eliezer was asked by a reporter if 40 Palestinian Police sent to the US for advanced CIA sniper, marksmanship and advanced weapons training, with Israeli knowledge and permission, are now using this skill to inflict harm on Israelis and Palestinian "collaborators."
Ben-Eliezer answered: "It's an easy question. We thought that they would behave themselves."
http://www.usaid.gov/about/wbg/ Damaged main street in Jenin following spring 2002 military incursions. Roads like this one will be repaired with USAID resources.
The USAID/West Bank and Gaza Mission has pledged $30 million to repair damaged infrastructure in the West Bank resulting from the recent Israeli incursions. The funds will be directed primarily toward the water and road sectors, and will focus on the governorates of Jenin, Bethlehem and Hebron, where the Mission has been particularly active. The Mission has reprogrammed an additional $60 million for a private sector crisis fund coordinated by the World Bank, emergency health, job creation programs, and other critical needs as they emerge.
The $30 million pledge was made following the completion of a rapid, multi-donor damage assessment of seven West Bank governorates, and sector damage assessments of housing, the private sector, the NGO sector, PA institutions and refugees. USAID/WBG took the lead in the assessments of the Hebron governorate and of the private sector, but also contributed contractor staff for all the geographic area assessments.
The assessments identified $361 million in damaged infrastructure resulting from Israeli military activities since March 1. According to the assessments, the private sector suffered the most significant amount of damage, with the total estimated at $97.5 million. Regionally, the Nablus area was the hardest hit, although Jenin and Ramallah also suffered significant losses.
USAID/WBG's contribution to the damage assessment process and the repair and reconstruction effort represents one piece of the overall Mission emergency response activity. Since March 28, the Mission also has distributed generators and a significant amount of medical supplies, repaired water systems and awarded grants to provide psycho- social support services to the population (See below). Also, Mission personnel staffed the Donor Support Group established to coordinate the emergency donor response, and contractor/grantee personnel formed the core memberships of the water, health and psycho-social operations centers. These efforts, together with the concerted efforts of USAID, PVO and NGO partners, have helped avert a major humanitarian disaster in the West Bank.
Since the Al Aqsa Intifada began in October 2000, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have experienced a dramatic decline in their living conditions. Unemployment has reached unprecedented levels of well over 1/3 of the workforce and income losses total at least $3 billion. The situation worsened in March/April after a series of terrorist incidents in Israel and Israeli retaliatory action in several West Bank cities and towns caused thousands of Palestinians to be cut off from food supplies, medical care, employment and essential services. USAID responded by re-orienting its assistance program to meet immediate and on-going emergency humanitarian needs while not losing focus on medium-long term development goals. Despite the challenges presented by closures and limited access to programs, USAID continues to support civil society organizations, assist Palestinian judges and prosecutors, construct major water infrastructure, develop a cadre of private sector business professionals and improve maternal-child health care.
Immediate Humanitarian Assistance
Medicine and Healthcare. USAID has provided $2 million in medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and surgical equipment to hospitals and clinics, including critically needed sutures and kidney dialysis machines for hospitals in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Jenin and Beit Jala. USAID also provided desperately needed generators to keep electricity flowing through central hospitals and clinics. In addition, through USAID's efforts, health care workers have been trained in emergency obstetrical practices, and emergency obstetrical kits for home and clinic deliveries have been distributed. USAID also established an emergency health hotline and is helping to develop health messages for T.V. and radio focusing on pre-and post-natal care.
Food. The United States provided emergency food packages to medical institutions and homes. $2.3 million was given to the World Food Program to assist in emergency food distribution.
Palestinian children in Jenin collecting water at a temporary water distribution point.
Water. Immediately following the Jenin incursion in March, USAID supplied residents with 1600 collapsible water containers, water booster pumps and a large water treatment unit. Residents of Jenin, Nablus and Hebron also received some 70,000 liters of bottled water. USAID is now implementing a large- scale replacement effort of damaged roof water tanks in selected areas of the West Bank. USAID also provided over $1 million for emergency equipment during March and April to get water systems up and running again.
Drought Relief. An estimated $1 million have been programmed to provide new pipelines to ensure a safe and reliable flow of water to the Ein Sultan Refugee Camp, Jenin and villages surrounding Jenin.
Hygiene. USAID provided over 1600 hygiene kits containing items like soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent and sanitary napkins.
Ongoing and Planned Emergency Response Programs
Health supplies and training. USAID will continue to provide medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and equipment and train health care providers in the area of emergency medical practices.
Psycho-social services. USAID will continue to provide crisis intervention service and trauma counseling for Palestinian parents, children and youth.
Food. USAID expects to support a new emergency food appeal issued by the World Food Program. With its USPVO and local Palestinian partners, USAID is carefully monitoring the nutritional status of children and women and will complete a nutritional assessment by the end of this year.
Job Creation. USAID will significantly expand support for two programs generating employment through the provision of basic services, such as building schools and classrooms, paving roads, renovating health clinics, and solid waste removal.
Emergency Services through Local Organizations. USAID will provide resources to local Palestinian non-governmental organizations so that they may provide emergency assistance and services to their communities in the West Bank and Gaza.
Private Sector and Financial Services. USAID will expand its credit program enabling micro and small enterprises to remain in business and keep people employed. Also, small loans will be provided for home repairs for damage incurred by the recent military actions in the West Bank. In addition, USAID will contribute up to $10 million dollars to to the fund established by the World Bank supporting private sector recovery activities.
Water Systems Repair. USAID will provide significant levels of support for the repair and reconstruction of key water infrastructure recently destroyed or disabled. USAID will work with other donors to assess and prioritize needs, and will focus repair activities in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem, Jenin and Hebron. This includes the repair of water pumping stations, main artery pipe networks, village water networks, and the repair or replacement of water reservoir systems. Assistance will be provided through U.S. companies and US PVOs.
Municipal Infrastructure Repair. USAID will support urgently needed repair and rehabilitation of basic infrastructure to enable municipalities to resume provision of services.
Support for the United Nations Refugee & Works Agency (UNRWA). The U.S. has supported UNRWA's mission of providing health, education, housing, employment, youth activities and food security assistance for the more than 1.5 million registered Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza. Since October 2000,USAID has provided $32 million to UNRWA to address escalating humanitarian needs since the beginning of the Intifada.