Could this be the beginning of a trend? Might Israel be next? http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040716/pl_nm/saudi_usa_vote_dc_1 House Votes to Block Aid for Saudi Arabia By Anna Willard WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers cheered as the House of Representatives voted on Thursday to strip financial assistance for Saudi Arabia from a foreign aid bill because of criticism that the country has not been sufficiently cooperative in the U.S. war on terror. The vote was a stinging defeat for the Bush Administration which had strongly opposed the measure saying it would "severely undermine" counterterrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia and U.S. efforts for peace in the Middle East. The House voted 217-191 to remove $25,000 in the $19.4 billion 2005 foreign aid bill earmarked for Saudi Arabia. The funds were designated for military training but approval would have triggered millions of dollars in discounts on hardware and other military training, lawmakers said. "I don't want my taxpayer dollars going to the Saudis and I don't want anyone else's to," said Nevada Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley. Supporters of the measure also argued that with Saudi Arabia's massive wealth from ownership of one-fourth of the world's proven oil reserves, the kingdom should not need financial aid from the United States. The Senate would also have to strip the Saudi aid from its version of the foreign assistance bill before it stands a chance of being enacted. U.S.- Saudi ties were shaken by the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 were Saudi nationals and revelations that individual Saudis had financed al Qaeda, whose leader, Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), was born in the kingdom. A study by the Council on Foreign Relations found recently that Saudi Arabia has stepped up its efforts to halt the flow of funds to militant groups, but said more needed to be done. Arizona Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe, said the timing of the House measure "could not be worse." He acknowledged Saudi Arabia had not always been a model partner in the war on terror but said "we need all the friends and allies we can get."
Bingo! The other thing is, even though it is only $25,000, if it were left in, it would have given the Saudis millions in discounts on military equipment.
The CFR is right, they have made progress, but could do more. How much they have done and how fast they have done it is something that is weighed against the cultural - religious - political situation in that country.
Israel has many friends in the u.S. government and it will take quite a while before anything significant would get cut. <a HREF="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/449726.html">Friends unwavering in Israel's support, foes praise ICJ's verdict</a> <i>The international reactions to the fence ruling of the International Court of Justice at the Hague were divided, as expected, among supporters and critics of Israel. New York's two senators, Democrats Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, joined Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Gillerman, in front of UN headquarters on Friday to denounce the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on the West Bank separation fence. "It makes no sense for the United Nations to vehemently oppose a fence which is a non-violent response to terrorism rather than opposing terrorism itself," Clinton said to a crowd of about 100 people. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Israel has proved that since the separation fence was built it has managed to reduce infiltration by terrorists. The UN's turning to the ICJ was inappropriate, Powell said, adding that the court's ruling on the legality of the fence was not binding. Powell stressed that Washington was not satisfied with the barrier's route, but that Israel was sensitive to the U.S. position and added it must not use the fence to predetermine permanent borders. The White House on Friday brushed aside the ICJ ruling, saying it didn't think it was the right forum for addressing the issue. "We do not believe that that's the appropriate forum to resolve what is a political issue. This is an issue that should be resolved through the process that has been put in place, specifically the road map," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "We certainly recognize the need for Israel to defend itself and protect the people of Israel. It's also important that they allow the Palestinian people to move freely within that region," McClellan added. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher after the World Court announced its decision said, "we don't think there's a need for [UN] General Assembly action at this point." "We think the efforts of the parties ought to be placed on seizing the opportunity that can be created for progress on the road map," he added........ Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry said he was disappointed with the court's decision. Kerry said Israel's separation fence was a legitimate measure in view of its security needs and its wish to defend itself against terrorist attacks..... </i>
This is a wonderful symbolic gesture that's long overdue. Saudi Arabia has more to do with September 11, 2001 and the "war on terrorism" than Afghanistan and Iraq combined, and it's reassuring that lawmakers are beginning to take notice.
Well, since Afghanistan harbored and trained the hijackers, and served at an overt base of operations, its hard to minimize their contribution to AQ. But I agree with your sentiment.
