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Spending Aid to Palestinians Wisely

[International Herald Tribune] David Aaron and Ross Anthony - Before opening wide the sluice gates of aid, the U.S. and other donor nations need to join with Abbas to develop plans to use the funds both to boost Palestinian support for the Abbas government and to promote long-term economic policies that improve the lives of Palestinians. The best way to raise Palestinian public support for Abbas would be to focus on health, education, and law and order. Programs for inoculations, distributing micronutrients, primary care, and mental health would undercut Hamas' great claim to fame - its local health clinics - by providing something better. The Palestinian institutions of justice are feeble and often nonexistent. In many places there are no police to apprehend criminals, no place to jail them, no courts to try them, no judges, no prosecutors and no defense attorneys. Finally, measures must be put in place to ensure that international aid does not fall into the black hole of corruption. Hamas' election success was fed by public revulsion at blatant official theft by members of Fatah. Abbas will not regain credibility unless he puts an end to it. David Aaron is director of the Center of Middle East Public Policy for the RAND Corporation. Ross Anthony is co-director of the Center for Domestic and International Health Security at RAND.
2007-08-17 01:00:00
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