Foreign Policy

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Monday called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to look into reports that the Palestinian Authority is using foreign aid money from the United Kingdom to pay the families of Palestinians killed fighting against Israel and assess whether any U.S. foreign aid to the authority is being used this way.

The British newspaper, the Daily Mail, reported Monday that the Palesenian Authority (PA), which oversees the West Bank and Gaza Strip, has authorized $8.2 million in payments to the "families of martyrs," and another $4.9 million for 5,500 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

"I ask that you investigate expeditiously the allegations reported by the Daily Mail, provide information to Congress and the American people on what you have learned, and ensure that U.S. taxpayer money does not go to support terrorists or those who aid them," Nadler wrote in his letter.

Restrictions in the bill "would be debilitating to my efforts to carry out a considered foreign policy," Clinton said.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee worked late Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning on the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, and much of the work involved accepting amendments that would significantly limit U.S. foreign aid and improve the transparency of foreign aid programs.

By the time it adjourned at about 2 a.m. Thursday, the committee accepted two amendments that would cut off aid to specific countries. One, from Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), would prohibit the use of funds for any program in Argentina, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador or Bolivia.

The other, from Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), would prohibit any foreign assistance to countries that oppose the U.S. in the United Nations.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to mark up a State Department authorization bill on Wednesday that would apply new barriers to U.S. security aid to Pakistan and other countries. The proposal comes amid ongoing questions about the extent to which Pakistan sheltered 9/11 terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Under the bill, security aid to Pakistan would be conditioned on a certification from the president that Pakistan is "is fully assisting the United States with investigating the existence of an official or unofficial support network in Pakistan for Osama Bin Laden, including by providing the United States with direct access to Osama Bin Laden's relatives in Pakistan and to Osama Bin Laden's former compound in Abottabad and any materials therein."

Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) on Monday said he believes the House will move to cut foreign aid to Pakistan as a way to express its anger over what most agree is Pakistan's failure to offer meaningful help in the U.S. search for Osama bin Laden.

Just last week, Poe tried unsuccessfully to strip $2 billion in funds the U.S. currently sends to Pakistan to pay for counterinsurgency training and to help the U.S. in counterterrorism efforts. But Poe said he believes the House will be more willing to cut foreign aid instead.

"I think members of the House do see a difference in military aid and straight out foreign aid, and I hope they're more receptive to cutting out foreign aid to Pakistan," Poe said in an interview with The Hill.

Members of the House Thursday evening overwhelmingly approved a resolution that calls for a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The resolution is meant to make the PA think twice about trying to unilaterally declare statehood at the United Nations, given its close association with Hamas, a group on the U.S. terrorist list that openly calls for the destruction of Israel.

The House voted 407-6 in favor of the resolution, H.Res. 268. Only three Republicans and three Democrats voted against it; 13 members voted "present."

The House on Thursday afternoon voted to spare Pakistan from proposals that would have cut off $2 billion in aid to that country.

The proposals were offered as amendments to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas). Poe, like other members, is highly critical of Pakistan's apparent lack of cooperation in helping the U.S. find terrorist Osama bin Laden.

House appropriators late Wednesday night issued a stern warning to Pakistan that they are considering cutting off funds to that country in light of the controversy over whether Pakistani officials fully cooperated with the U.S. in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), the third ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, warned that he would be studying the circumstances surrounding bin Laden's discovery in the heart of Pakistan, and could introduce language cutting off funds for Pakistan in the foreign operations spending bill.

The House on Wednesday evening debated a resolution that calls on the dispute between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to be settled only through bilateral negotiations between both parties.

The resolution, H.Res. 268, was brought up under a suspension of House rules, usually reserved for non-controversial bills. While it is expected to pass easily, a vote on the measure was postponed, likely until Thursday.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned on Tuesday that Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi is "serious" about attacking European cities in order to pressure European officials to cease their airstrikes against Libya.

"He actually means it," Graham said of Gadhafi. "Hitler meant it. He means it."