Steve Peacock's U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor

Former Federal Prosecutor Leverages Steve Peacock's U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor in Column

Many thanks to Andrew C. McCarthy of National Review Online for using U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor today as a supplemental resource in his article "Shhh, Don't Tell Anyone Hamas Won."

McCarthy, author of Spring Fever: The Illusion of Islamic Democracy, via the NRO piece linked to "Obama to Exclude U.S. Companies from $300 Million Palestinian Project" (Monitor, Aug. 17, 2012).

McCarthy, it should be noted, is not your average columnist. Indeed, check out his bio:

Andrew C. McCarthy was a top federal prosecutor involved in some of the most significant cases in recent history. Decorated with the Justice Department’s highest honors, he retired from government in 2003, after helping launch the 9/11 investigation. He is one of America’s most persuasive voices on national security issues and author of the bestsellers Willful Blindness: A Memoir of the Jihad and The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America. Currently, he is a contributing editor at National Review and a columnist for Pajamas Media.

I am honored that Mr. McCarthy has recognized the value of U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor, and  look forward to reading Spring Fever and his other works.

Obama Spending $300 Million for 'Palestinian State'

The Obama administration has released details of a plan to infuse another $300 million into West Bank and Gaza construction projects, spending it deems critical toward attaining the “success of a future Palestinian state.”

Despite combined U.S. and international donor-community efforts, a significant portion of the public infrastructure currently under Palestinian Authority control remains in need of expansion or repair, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Obama, through USAID, is stepping in to meet the need as a successful Palestinian state “depends upon an infrastructure system capable of providing basic services to a growing population,” the agency said in a Statement of Work released Sept. 24.

The Local Construction Project, or LCP, on the other hand, explicitly forbids the transfer of funds to PA-owned or controlled entities – though it likewise mandates that subsequent awards are given to local contractors, thereby excluding the participation of U.S. vendors.

Despite the prohibition against the awarding of contracts to government-affiliated firms, the PA indeed will directly benefit from the LCP.

While the bulk of the aid tentatively is slated for roads and local water-related projects, the construction and rehabilitation of municipal and local government infrastructure is permitted.

Other permissible projects include those benefiting health clinics and hospitals; wastewater treatment plant components and related infrastructure; and youth and sports facilities.

USAID also gave itself some additional flexibility by inserting a provision in the SOW allowing contract awards for: “Other related infrastructure construction programs, which may include any other infrastructure facilities identified as vital to the success of USAID strategic goals.”

Specifically excluded from project funding, however, are power generation and transmission infrastructure, large-scale wastewater treatment plant facilities and “provision of U.S. equipment and materials for the Palestinian Authority or Palestinian entities.”

Accompanying the document are updated U.S. government guidelines – known as Mission Order No. 21 – for ensuring that USAID-funded assistance “does not inadvertently provide support to entities or individuals associated with terrorism.”

Running concurrently with LCP infrastructure modernization are PA efforts to crack down on militants in the region, including those who are attempting to tighten their grip on Palestinian governmental and military affairs.

Indeed, as WND reported this past week, PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party recently began targeting Hamas military installations in the West Bank while also contending with the alleged infiltration by Hamas of Fatah security forces.

The LCP initiative is the latest of several programs that the USAID Mission to West Bank and Gaza launched in the past year, adding to a $3.5 billion portfolio of initiatives that the agency has financed since 1995.

Earlier this year USAID handed out the first round of awards in a separate Palestinian infrastructure project worth upwards of $750 million. Unlike LCP, the Infrastructure Needs Project Phase II enabled multiple U.S. companies to secure construction contracts.

USAID also unveiled a project to “fix” the PA, as WND reported, embarking upon a search for contractors to help the Palestinians to enact laws competently and create good policies governing public services.

The continuing assistance from the U.S. government additionally ties into the Obama administration’s efforts to promote the U.S. role in financing “Palestinian development and building the future Palestinian state.”

As this writer also previously reported via The Revered Review, Obama, through USAID, launched a media- and public-outreach program to improve Palestinian opinion of U.S. policy, an effort that would help secure Obama a place in history for bringing statehood a step closer to reality.

This article originally appeared via WND on Sept. 30, 2012. Rights have reverted back to the author, Steve Peacock.

WND: Obama Spending $300 Million for 'Palestinian State'

My latest contribution to WND -- S.P.:

The Obama administration has released details of a plan to infuse another $300 million into West Bank and Gaza construction projects, spending it deems critical toward attaining the “success of a future Palestinian state.”

Continued at WND...

Obama/Palestinian Monitor Article Sparks Angst in Cyberspace

The response in cyberspace to the article "Obama to Exclude U.S. Companies from $300 Million Palestinian Project" truly has been phenomenal, as the piece helped generate over 1,000 page views at U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor in under 48 hours. Though responses have varied, the article clearly has grabbed the attention of taxpayers who have expressed sheer exasperation over having their money squandered overseas.

More than half of the page views reported via Google Analytics stemmed from that specific article, which likewise drove traffic to related coverage such as "USAID Contracts Start Flowing in $750 Million Palestinian Infrastructure Project" as well as "$58 Million USAID Contract to Help Steer Tourists Out of Israel and into West Bank, Gaza" and "Obama Launching Appeal to Palestinians -- Media Blitz to Promote U.S. Role in 'Building' Future State."

Unrelated to those articles -- but equally critical toward the current spike in Monitor statistics -- are the pieces COVER-UP! Contracting System Sanitized of Kenya Documents and "Kenya Sees Spike in Obama Administration-Funded Projects" (the latter of which has been followed up with "Obama's Spending Grows 'Exponentially' in Kenya"). 

Many thanks to WND for posting on its website a summary of and link to the most recent Monitor article, which likewise has gotten numerous referrals from TheDailySheeple.com, FreeRepublic.com, and ReaganCoalition.com, among others.

As always, continued gratitude goes out to Cryptome, which continues to store links to various Monitor articles in its archives, thereby regularly helping to bring critical attention to some of the federal government's activities that otherwise would remain obscured from public view.

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

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.

Indeed, as the Monitor has been reporting since last year, the Obama Administration went so far as to launch a project whose aim is to draw tourists away from Israel and re-direct them to Palestinian lands (see:  $58 Million USAID Contract to Help Steer Tourists Out of Israel and into West Bank, Gaza; Monitor, Jan. 7).

Similarly, Obama via USAID wants to ensure that the Palestinians -- and the world -- appreciates U.S. involvement in that region (see: Obama Launching Appeal to Palestinians -- Media Blitz to Promote U.S. Role in 'Building' Future State).

Source document: Solicitation #RFP-294-12-000008.

USAID Gaza/West Bank Projects Undergoing Audit

The Palestinian Community Assistance Program, comprising fifty-four past and ongoing projects in Gaza and the West Bank, are undergoing audits to ensure compliance with project-performance requirements, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced today. The agency awarded an ILS 70,166 contract  (Israeli Shekels; approx. USD $18,200) to the Ramallah unit of PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct the review (Solicitation #AID-263-C-12-00002).

RELATED:

White House to Woo Palestinians through PR Campaign

USAID Contracts Start Flowing in $750 Million Palestinian Infrastructure Project

$58 Million USAID Contract to Help Steer Tourists Out of Israel and into West Bank, Gaza

$58 Million USAID Contract to Help Steer Tourists Out of Israel and into West Bank, Gaza

A $58 million contract to foster Palestinian economic development -- which includes plans to help steer tourists away from Israel and into the West Bank and Gaza -- was awarded yesterday by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

As U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor reported (April 20, 2011) last spring:

Despite the richness and variety of sites across Palestinian land, "the vast majority of religious tourists confine their visits to brief visits to the religious sites in Bethlehem. Since tourists often visit Bethlehem and then return to Jerusalem, they often spend little or no money in Palestine," the RFP says.

"The tourism strategy must be to induce these visitors to spend more time in Palestine, visiting alternative sites, eating in local restaurants, staying overnight in Palestinian hotels, hiring Palestinian guides, and buying Palestinian souvenirs."

Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), a Bethesda, Md.-based contractor, will carry out the Enterprise Development for Global Competitiveness, or EDGC, project on USAID' s behalf.(Contract award #AID-294-C-12-00001).

Although the original solicitation revealed this plan to divert tourists to Palestinian businesses, the ambitious endeavor likewise will involve efforts to promote the development of Palestinian agriculture and agribusiness, stone and marble, and information technology sectors.

FOR MORE REGIONAL COVERAGE, SEE THE MONITOR'S ISRAEL PAGE AND GAZA/WEST BANK PAGE.

FOR FURTHER REPORTING ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

Obama: Friend to Israel, or No? (Commentary)

While President Obama is using his recently launched AttackWatch.com site to rebut claims that he is no friend to Israel, U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor poses this question in response: If his rebuttal indeed is correct, why then has his Administration launched separate initiatives to: (1) Steer tourist traffic away from Israel and into Palestinian land instead; and: (2) Bombard the Palestinian people with a media blitz attemptng to convince them that he (via the U.S. Agency for International Development/"the American people") is a friend to the Palestinians?

Just a little food for thought. For an additional taste, see previous Monitor articles such as:

"Obama Launching Appeal to Palestinians -- Media Blitz to Promote U.S. Role in 'Building' Future State"(and the related piece "USAID Releases Formal Plan for Palestinian Media Blitz"), plus:

"Project to Steer Pilgrims to Palestinians: U.S. Says Christian Tourists Leave for Israel Too Quickly."

NOTE: This post should not be misconstrued as an endorsement of any particular presidential candidates. Though it clearly and unapologetically questions President Obama's claim on the Truth, neither does the Monitor assert that his potential competitors for the presidency have cornered the market on Truth, either.

FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF INFORMATION-DISSEMINATION ISSUES, SEE THE MONITOR’S PROPAGANDA/PR PAGE.

FOR MORE REGIONAL COVERAGE, SEE THE MONITOR'S ISRAEL PAGE AND GAZA/WEST BANK PAGE.

FOR FURTHER REPORTING ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

USAID Releases Formal Plan for Palestinian Media Blitz

An information bombardment of the Palestinian people and media planned by the Obama Administration took one step closer to fruition this week with the release of a formal request for proposals. (Solicitation #RFP294-2011-210). As U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor recently reported, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is overseeing U.S. State Department efforts to change its image among Palestinians -- an actionthat includes, among strategies, the distribution of U.S. government-approved feature articles and video productions to media outlets (see: "Obama Launching Appeal to Palestinians -- Media Blitz to Promote U.S. Role in 'Building' Future State.")

EDITOR'S NOTE: Please note that the link to the above-mentioned Request for Proposals was updated Dec. 14, 2011. The FedBizOpps database, apparently as part of its routine archiving system, had changed the link, rendering the originally posted link unusable.

FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF INFORMATION-DISSEMINATION ISSUES, SEE THE MONITOR’S PROPAGANDA/PR PAGE.

FOR MORE REGIONAL COVERAGE, SEE THE MONITOR'S ISRAEL PAGE AND GAZA/WEST BANK PAGE.

FOR FURTHER REPORTING ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

Project to steer pilgrims to Palestinians: U.S. says Christian tourists leave for Israel too quickly

Just days after Hamas militants rained rockets on Israeli civilians, the Obama administration alerted contractors to a U.S.-financed endeavor whose aim is to have Christian pilgrims stay longer – and thereby spend more money – in Palestinian territory rather than in Israel.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, which is financing the Enterprise Development for Global Competitiveness Project, on April 11 released a Request for Proposals (RFP), #RFP294-2011-204, seeking "innovative solutions to unique constraints on Palestinian businesses" in the West Bank and Gaza.

According to the solicitation, which WND located via routine database research, USAID identified tourism as one of the four most promising industry growth sectors for the Palestinians.

But tourism faces unique challenges that the EDGC Project hopes to overcome, such as the brevity of tourist trips to the region.

Two of the largest sources of visitors to Gaza and the West Bank, for example, are tourists who visit Christian sites, plus Israeli Arabs and Palestinians living abroad who visit for various reasons – "neither of which generates large amounts of tourism employment and revenue," the RFP says.         

The project's objective for this sector is to "expand the number of visitors and the money that they spend in Palestine."

One strategy to accomplish this objective is to develop incentives for tourists to engage in activities including and in addition to visiting sites venerated by Christians, it says.

While it is important to expand the scope of interest in non-religious Palestinian destinations, USAID acknowledged in an RFP attachment, #J-2, that "Most of Palestine's visitors are religious tourists. Therefore, the immediate priority is to increase the number of sites of interest to religious tourists."

Contractors selected for the project would help the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism to "harness the full potential of the historical, biblical, and archeological importance of Palestine's tourism sites."

Corresponding with the Palestinian Authority’s National Development Plan, 2011 – 2013, USAID has identified 10 "priority tourism sites" for potential development, including:

The Burqueen Church, a 12th Century structure in Jenin considered to be the remnant of "One of the earliest Christian sanctuaries, dating to the early Byzantine era.

The Sabastia/Samaria site in Nablus, which USAID describes as "the biblical capital of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Jacob's Well, also in Nablus, which is "Reputed to be the site of Jesus's encounter with the Samaritan woman" and is "also associated with the biblical patriarchs, as the name implies.

Tel Es-Sultan, Jericho, described as the "oldest city on earth."

Other sites include Solomon's Pool and Shepard's Field in Bethlehem, plus Balata Archeological Park in Nablus, "site of the Canaanite and biblical city of Shechem."

Despite the richness and variety of sites across Palestinian land, "the vast majority of religious tourists confine their visits to brief visits to the religious sites in Bethlehem. Since tourists often visit Bethlehem and then return to Jerusalem, they often spend little or no money in Palestine," the RFP says.

"The tourism strategy must be to induce these visitors to spend more time in Palestine, visiting alternative sites, eating in local restaurants, staying overnight in Palestinian hotels, hiring Palestinian guides, and buying Palestinian souvenirs."

The development of new tourist destinations and the renovation of existing sites would facilitate the attainment of that goal, it says.

"Site development will also extend beyond religious sites to nature areas and areas of archeological interest, in order to expand the range of Palestinian tourism," the RFP points out.

Creating new destinations and improving the infrastructure of and between such sites could be supplemented by the targeted pairing of the Palestinian and Jordanian tourism sectors; linking the two regional sectors would improve the long-term prospects of Gaza and the West Bank succeeding as tourist hotspots, according to USAID.

"It must be recognized, however, that the numbers of these 'new' tourists will likely be small, at least initially," USAID acknowledged. "However, the numbers of nontraditional tourists could grow rapidly, particularly if linkages can be established with Jordanian tourism."

Aside from tourism, USAID contractors also will prioritize plans to hasten the development of the agriculture and agribusiness, stone and marble, and information technology sectors.

Although some of the larger Palestinian companies already have achieved some success in the global economy, small and medium enterprises, "which employ many more Palestinians," have achieved less success, USAID says.

"The Palestinian economy stands on the threshold of an enormous opportunity for integration into world markets."

USAID did not disclose the estimated cost of the project.

(This article originally appeared April 18, 2011, in WorldNetDaily.)