- WASHINGTON - The U.S. Congress
last week passed proposals that would define Jerusalem as the capital of
the state of Israel, increase support for Israel, and impose restriction
on aid to Lebanon and the Palestinians. These decisions are incorporated
in the State Department's budget law, and require President Bush's authorization.
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- The resolutions relating to Jerusalem would make the
U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem (which handles matters relating to Palestinians
in the territories, and is responsible for relations with the Palestinian
Authority) subordinate to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. Up to now the consulate
has had independent status as the Americans' direct line to the Palestinians.
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- The new law would effectively transfers responsibility
for contacts with the Palestinians to the Tel Aviv embassy, which is in
charge of handling relations with Israel. In addition, the law calls for
all official American documents to cite Jerusalem as Israel's capital,
and to write in passports issued to American citizens who were born in
Jerusalem that they were born in Israel.
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- The U.S. has traditionally opposed such classification
of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, claiming the city's status is to be determined
in future negotiations between the two sides.
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- In the past, the president's bureau chief has sent letters
to key Congressmen, pleading with them not to approve similar proposals
on the grounds of American national security interests. This time, however,
the White House chose not to intervene. Yet while signing the bill into
law, Bush still has the power to decree sections dealing with the consulate
as having no more than declarative status.
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- The proposed State Department budget includes an addition
of $300 million to Israel's regular aid package. The proposed budget also
slashes assistance to Lebanon by $10 million and empowers the President
to cut back on aid to the PA if national security interests warrant such
reductions.
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- http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=213541&contras
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