Does U.S. Aid Subsidize Hamas Terrorism?

James Phillips / June 14, 2010

Fox news analyst David Asman asked a provocative question in a recent blog post: Is President Obama funding terrorism by offering to provide $400 million of humanitarian aid to Hamas-controlled Gaza? The President made the offer in a meeting last week with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who lost authority in Gaza after a bloody Hamas coup in 2007. The aid package is aimed at improving living conditions in Gaza and strengthening the Palestinian Authority, which is open to negotiations with Israel, relative to Hamas, which refuses to recognize the Jewish state and remains explicitly committed to Israel’s destruction.

The administration promises that none of the aid will be diverted for illicit purposes. Asman disagrees: (more…)