Obama to Exclude U.S. Companies from $300 Million Palestinian Project

by Max Posted 2012/08/18 16:31:55

Related Topics: Gaza, Palestinian, Israel, Obama, White House, Obama Administration, Bank, School, Contracts, Schools, Contract

Read More

Read all 7 opinions

August 18, 2012

Source: Trade Aid Monitor

The
Obama Administration today revealed it is embarking upon a $300 million
Palestinian construction project; U.S. companies, however, need not
apply.

Indeed, the stated goal of this U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) project is to award program contracts solely to West
Bank and Gaza-area vendors, according to presolicitation notice
released today.

The Local Construction Program, or LCP, as it is
known, will seek out non-governmental entities to carry out a variety of
initiatives involving "local construction or rehabilitation of roads,
buildings, water, wastewater, public buildings including health
facilities, schools, and other infrastructure."

USAID said it
expects to release a formal Request for Proposals around September 3,
and will not accept bids until that time. The agency revealed few other
details.

As U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor reported earlier this
year, USAID began awarding contracts in a separate Palestinian project
worth upwards of three-quarters of a billion dollars (see: USAID Contracts Start Flowing in $750 Million Palestinian Infrastructure Project; Monitor, Jan. 14, 2012).

Helping
to create a modern Palestinian state is a top priority for the Obama
White House, which explicitly has made clear its intentions to
accomplish that task -- even if it means taking away business from
Israel.

Schläue~© 2012/08/18 17:24:54

0bozo pledged $900 Million to Hamas and he'll make sure they get it one way or another. Hillary delivered the first $200 Million while all attention was on the anointed on in Cairo 2009.
The cat got out of the bag on that one so he's had to be crafty about laundering the funds since.
Let's see,... $10 million to patch up a few roads, $10 million to build some brick huts and the rest to purchase RPG's, surface to air missiles and some other fancy toys to use when it hits the fan with Iran and the Pali's hit cities in Israel from the inside.

reply
ehrhornp 2012/08/18 16:38:53

Makes sense to me and serves a double purpose. First to give aid. Second to help the economy.

reply
tradeai... to ehrhornp 2012/08/18 17:48:00

+1
Revise whose economy? This $300 million more extracted from the U.S. Treasury -- $300 million more that the U.S. cannot afford and offers no benefit to the U.S. economy. Read the entire article, and the supporting articles included within this piece. This simply is more White House waste. U.S. taxpayers cannot and should not be burdened with this and countless other schemes to supposedly save the world.

reply
ehrhornp to tradeai... 2012/08/18 17:59:00

The Palestine economy. US cannot afford it? Well it should never have followed GW and the republicans down the path of voodoo economics. Let this be a lesson to you before you vote republican again.

Funny thing is you probably will vote republican which is dumb. But enjoy feeding conflicts around the world. Hopefully you are not a Christian.

reply
JMCC 2012/08/18 16:35:44

+1
Given the security issues involved and the sensitive political situation, I suspect that this is a blessing in disguise and a wise decision...

reply
tradeai... to JMCC 2012/08/18 17:51:31 (edited)

And your great-great grandchildren will be tasked with paying for this and other "wise" foreign-aid decisions. This administration appears hell-bent on bankrupting our nation with such feel-good global endeavors. Giving U.S. taxpayers additional relief from such burdensome programs would be an infinitely wiser decision. Enough is enough.

reply
JMCC to tradeai... 2012/08/18 17:52:55

I agree -

"Get your own house in order first"...

reply