By Pamela Hess
UPI Pentagon Correspondent
From the International Desk
Published 4/9/2002 6:22 PM


WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) -- The Saudi Arabian government has paid out at least $33 million to families of Palestinians killed or injured in the 17-month-old intifada and in December 2001 earmarked another $50 million for the payments, according to Arabic news agencies and the Saudi Embassy's Web site.

Similar payments promised by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein have drawn sharp condemnation from U.S. President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The Saudi Committee for Support of the Al-Aqsa Intifada distributes payments of $5,333 to the families of the dead and $4,000 to each Palestinian receiving medical treatment in Saudi hospitals. The fund is managed by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, according to the embassy.

The sum is far less than the $10,000 Iraq offers to the families of those killed and the $25,000 it gives to the kin of suicide bombers, but is nonetheless significant to the average Palestinian whose annual income is $1,575.

Saudi Arabia makes no distinction in compensation to families of suicide bombers and those killed by Israeli military action. There have been more than 50 suicide bombings since the intifada began in September 2000.

According to Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American Islamic Relations, the Islamic faith enjoins Muslims to take care of widows and especially orphans. The families of suicide bombers are just as needy as those killed by military attacks, he said.

"They want to make it sound like (all the money is for) the families of suicide bombers," Hooper told United Press International.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld professed ignorance of the Saudi fund Monday.

"I have no information whatsoever that suggests that the government of Saudi Arabia is doing what Iraq is," he said at a Pentagon news briefing.

Saudi Arabia created the fund in October 2000 at a conference of Arab nations held in Cairo, Egypt. It donated 25 percent of the $1 billion fund, $200 million of which goes for direct payments to families of the dead and injured and $800 million to fund economic development in the Palestinian territory.

As of January 2001, the Saudi government had paid $33 million to families of 2,281 prisoners and 358 "martyrs," as well as to 8,000 wounded, 1,000 handicapped and another 102 Palestinians who have been treated in the kingdom's hospitals. In addition, food hampers were distributed to more than 200,000 families, according to the embassy Web site.

The Bush administration avoided commenting on the Saudi fund but has decried the Iraqi payments -- especially to suicide bombers -- as inducement to murder.

"They're not martyrs," President Bush said April 4 at the White House. "They're murderers and they undermine the cause of the Palestinian people. Those governments like Iraq that reward parents for the sacrifice of their children are guilty of soliciting murder of the worst kind."

Bush and Rumsfeld charge the promised payments only serve to increase the violence.

"Here is an individual (Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein) who is the head of a country, Iraq, who has proudly, publicly made a decision to go out and actively promote and finance human sacrifice for families that will have their youngsters kill innocent men, women, and children. That is an example of what it is we're dealing with," Rumsfeld said last week.

Since Saddam increased the payments for suicide bombers in late March there have been more than 13 suicide attacks. That increase also coincides with Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, a military crackdown known as Operation Defensive Shield. It began March 28.

Nearly 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since the uprising began, according to the Palestine Monitor, a pro-Palestinian Web site maintained by non-governmental organizations in Ramallah. More than 340 Israelis have been killed. More than half of the dead are men between the ages of 19 and 29, according to the Palestine Monitor.

"Sometimes I'd like to ask these people who criticize these things (the funds) to find a list of Palestinian orphans who shouldn't be fed. Give us a list of Palestinian widows and orphans so Muslims can comply with dictates of not feeding the wrong people," Hooper said. "Are you supposed to penalize some child, some widow, because of what their father did or did not do?"

Hooper said the criticism "plays very well (in the United States) when you have this hysteria fed by the far right."

The Saudi government's press office in Washington did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment.

Not to be forgotten in any of this is the belief not only in the martyr receiving 72 'black-eyed' virgins in 'marriage', but the belief that he will be permitted to invite 72 friends and family members to share in Paradise with him.

What dissolute father, knowing full well that [u]he[/u] would never enter Paradise on his [u]own[/u] merit, might not encourage his son to become a martyr, not only for the money it would bring the family, but the expectation that his son would 'invite' [u]him[/u] into Paradise at the end of [u]his[/u] life?

Thanks, [b]satcong[/b], for the article!

Eric The(Unbelievable!)Hun[>]:)]

Can we add Saudi Arabia to the "Axis of Evil," or have the invitations already been printed up?

Unfortunately, we remain beholden to Saudi Arabia and OPEC due to our crack-like addiction to foreign oil.  Only when our country reaches oil independence will we be able to completely address the situation the way it should.

This is something to think about next time you go shopping for that gaz-guzzling SUV.

Just another reason to drill in ANWR.

Or buy from Russia. Alot cheaper and less headaches.

Depending on who you choose to believe somewhere between 7 and 10 years will be needed for production to begin should drilling in the ANWR be approved.

Last I heard the caribou were being polled on this subject as there's sure as hell no people affected.

Russia is rich with natural resources but has little means (technology) to produce the oil required should the oil producing Muslim states restrict the oil supply.

Within a ten year time frame a Russian solution is not viable.

We need to make Saudi Arabia the 51sr state![:D]

We need to make Saudi Arabia the 51st state![:D]

Should U.S. policy continue as it is now seizure of the oil fields in Arabia may well become necessary.

(Please also remember Venezuela when considering domestic consumption.)

I forget where I saw it last night, but one of the talking heads had an expert on crude oil production on to discuss the world's outout of crude oil.

According to him, back in the late 1980s, the Soviet Union actually outproduced Saudi Arabia in the production of oil, based upon their command economy style of running things back in the communist days.

After the Soviet Union fell, Russia never could quite produce the oil it had before. It now averages a close second behind Saudi Arabia with the US a distant rhird.

If we could just US production and refining techniques over there, we'd have no problem at all!

BTW, drill the ANWR [b]NOW![/b]

Eric The(Oily)Hun[>]:)]

Eric,
the ability to position U.S. technology in Russia would certainly help but part of the technology dealing with permafrost issues has not been invented.

Too often we think of Russia as a developed nation because of their nuclear capability.  However, in truth Russia remains a third world country in many respects especially those things having to do with transportation and distribution.  There are simply few roads and not enough railroads.

Drilling the ANWR will help in 7 - 10 years.

In the 10 year time frame the industrialized countries will remain dependent on the Muslim oil producing states for their economic viability while in the U.S. we must add Venezuela to our mix of countries to worry about.

It was Venezuela that led the first oil embargo not the Muslims.  (From memory)

From another post of mine:

Also titled: "Saudis: What Great Allies!" Basically, the Saudis do the same thing the Iraqis do & have a Life Insurance Fund for suicide bombers. Here's what Bush said about it:

"They're not martyrs," President Bush said April 4 at the White House. "They're murderers and they undermine the cause of the Palestinian people. Those governments like Iraq that reward parents for the sacrifice of their children are guilty of soliciting murder of the worst kind."

Yet, no condemnation of the Saudis for doing the same. Here's what Rumsfeld said:

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld professed ignorance of the Saudi fund Monday.
"I have no information whatsoever that suggests that the government of Saudi Arabia is doing what Iraq is," he said at a Pentagon news briefing.

Yeeeahhhhh right! The Sec.Def. of the most powerful nation on Earth doesn't know that our important "ally" is paying off the families of these sickos.  I love the Bush admin. just glossing over this little tidbit.  Same as they glossed over all the shit the Pakistanis have been doing.

I'm tired of this crap.

On oil supply: there is plenty available here in the USA, but it is either in areas the liberals will not let us drill in (ANWAR, Gulf of Mexico, or offshore California).  There is also plenty available in Mexico, they waste more oil in sloppy production each day than we burn in SUVs each day.  

Overall, oil use by SUVs in the USA is pretty small.  Imported oil is about 60 (or 65) percent of all imports, and all auto use is only a smallish fraction of that amount.

GunLvr

I agree with your basic premise (plenty of oil) but there is little that can be done inside of ten years to help.

"Little means", like the Saudis when oil was first discovered there? Who gave them the technology and equipment to explore and drill in the deserts? Hmmm... Could it be, AMERICA? Who says we can't and aren't doing the same as I type? It is very viable and look forward to the day that it happens.

Seize venezuela's state controlled oil fields as well as the country. We'd get good oil, and beautiful women, who can beat that???