Palestinians to ‘boycott US’ over Security Council veto

Palestinian local councils boycott American officials, journalists; Fayyad says he would give up any aid that is dependent on political conditions.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
fayyad lookin formal 311 (photo credit: AP)
fayyad lookin formal 311
(photo credit: AP)
The Palestinians on Wednesday stepped up their protest against Washington following last Friday’s veto against an anti-settlement resolution at the UN Security Council, calling for a boycott of the US.
At the request of Fatah, several Palestinian local councils in the Jerusalem area announced that they would boycott the US in protest against the veto.
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The boycott includes US government officials and American journalists.
Palestinian Authority and Fatah officials have also called for a “day of rage” against the US and President Barack Obama on Friday.
On Tuesday, Fatah supporters staged a demonstration in east Jerusalem in protest against the Security Council veto. Similar demonstrations have taken place in a number of Palestinian cities, where Fatah supporters chanted slogans denouncing Obama as a “despicable” man.
The local councils said that they would boycott American aid groups and the US Consulate-General in Jerusalem.
Hatem Abdel Kader, a senior Fatah official and former PA minister for Jerusalem affairs, told The Jerusalem Post that he has called on Hamas and other Palestinian factions to join the anti-US boycott.
Abdel Kader said that the protests would continue until the US administration changes its position regarding the Palestinians. He also demanded that Obama publicly apologize to the Palestinians for voting against the anti-settlement resolution.
PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced that he would be prepared to give up US aid that was dependent on political conditions.
He said that in 2010, the US gave the PA $223 million in financial aid to cover its deficit of $1.145 billion.
This did not include US aid to UNRWA, he said.
Fayyad said that his government has succeeded in reducing by one-third dependence on outside aid for its annual budget. He expressed hope that by 2013 the PA would be in a position that would allow it to completely give up financial aid.
Fayyad said he was ready to go to the Gaza Strip to talk with Hamas about the formation of a Palestinian unity government. Last week, PA President Mahmoud Abbas entrusted Fayyad with establishing a government that would include representatives of as many Palestinian groups as possible.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian National Council, the PLO’s parliament-in-exile, called on Palestinians to stop viewing the US as the only broker in the peace talks with Israel.
The call came in a statement issued by the council, which also strongly condemned the US veto.