U.S. Attempts to Topple Democratically-Elected Hamas Government

According to a report from Reuters, the CIA has launched an operation targetted at recruiting Palestinian journalists, politicians and activists to try and topple the democratically-elected Hamas government. The CIA is reported to have set aside $42 million for the initiative, which is aimed at strengthening political opposition to Hamas in advance of the next Palestinian Authority elections.

Included in the plan is the provision of funding to Fatah, especially those elements within the organization loyal to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. In addition, money will be given to individual journalists and radio and TV stations which agree to portray Hamas in a negative way. One Palestinian official, quoted anonymously, said some of the money earmarked for journalists would be used to create an anti-Hamas satellite TV station in the West Bank.

While representatives of the Bush administration stopped short of confirming the CIA-led operation, they acknowledged the existence of an “aid program” targetted at “building Palestinian civil society.” Speaking to Reuters, the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem, Jacob Walles, said “there is nothing new here. The U.S. has operated programs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for many years to promote development of political parties and civil society organizations.”

It is widely believed that the U.S. funnelled millions of dollars to Palestinian candidates from Fatah and other parties during the Palestinian election campaign held earlier this year. Hamas won a larger-than-expected majority in those elections; many political observers concluded that popular reaction to the American funding of certain candidates contributed to this victory. One of Hamas’ key campaign planks was eliminating the endemic corruption in the Palestinian Authority.

Several Palestinian legislators and activists have reacted angrily to the reported CIA operation. “We know very well that American money goes hand-in-hand with American agenda. We also know that unclean money goes to unclean parties and unclean politicians and unclean journalists," said Hasan Khreishe, deputy-speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

He added that the Bush administration wants to “morph Palestinian society into a mercenary society…The Americans claim that this money will restructure certain Palestinian political parties, but I'm sure that the opposite will happen. These bribes will only corrode, corrupt and eventually destroy these parties since they will lose respect and stature among the Palestinian masses."

These comments were echoed by Fatah leader and former elected member of the Palestinian Authority, Hatem Abdul Kader, who said: “I have no doubt that any party or even individual receiving money from external sources will incur the wrath of the Palestinian people and suffer immense social and political damage. It would be virtual political suicide.”

A Hamas spokesman in the Hebron region, Ibrahim Suleiman, echoed these views; he said: ”They are trying to buy off a few political mercenaries here and there. But I assure them that our people are not stupid and naive. America's agents, like Israel's agents, will be thrown away like you dump a filthy rug into the garbage container.”. He added, “America's agents and collaborators are being discarded everywhere in the world. Do you think they will prosper here in Palestine? Have the Palestinian people forgotten what America has been doing and is doing to them?”

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