US funds enter fray in Palestinian elections

The Bush administration is spending foreign aid money to increase the popularity of the Palestinian Authority on the eve of crucial elections in which the governing party faces a serious challenge from the radical Islamic group Hamas. The approximately $2 million program is being led by a division of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). But no US government logos appear with the projects or events being undertaken as part of the campaign, which bears no evidence of US involvement and does not fall within the definitions of traditional development work. US officials say their low profile is meant to ensure that the Palestinian Authority receives public credit for a collection of small, popular projects and events to be unveiled before Palestinians select their first parliament in a decade. Internal documents outlining the program describe the effort as "a temporary paradigm shift" in the way the aid agency operates. The plan was designed with the help of a former US Army Special Forces officer. US and Palestinian officials say they fear the election will result in a large Hamas presence in the 132-seat legislature. Hamas, formally known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, is classified by the US government as a terrorist organization. But its reputation for competence and accountability in providing social services has made it a stiff rival of the secular Fatah movement, which runs the Palestinian Authority and has long been the largest party in the Palestinian territories. The plan's budget is likely more than what any Palestinian party will have spent by election day. Elements of the US-funded program include a street-cleaning campaign, distributing free food and water to Palestinians at border crossings, donating computers to community centers and sponsoring a national youth soccer tournament. In recent days, Arabic-language papers have been filled with US-funded advertisements announcing the events in the name of the Palestinian Authority, which the public closely identifies with Fatah. Some of the events have resembled Fatah rallies, with participants wearing the trademark black-and-white kaffiyehs emblazoned with the party logo, walls plastered with Fatah candidates' posters, and banks of TV cameras invited to record the event. Public opinion polls have shown the race tightening in recent weeks, with Hamas now running even with Fatah. Despite the United States' covert support for Fatah, actions taken by the Israeli government in recent days may only bolster Hamas's standing among Palestinian voters. The Israeli army shot dead Thabet Ayyadeh, a leader of Hamas's military wing, on Jan. 17. The army said they shot Ayyadeh after he opened fire, wounding an Israeli soldier, as he ran out of a house which the army had been surrounding in Tulkarem with the intention of arresting him. Two days later, Israeli police raided Hamas's election offices in East Jerusalem, confiscating material and shutting down the office for 15 days. A sign police put on the door of the office said the company–"Farouk Cultural Forum"–was being used as "a place for the activities of a terrorist group." Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said the office was closed to prevent Hamas from operating in Jerusalem. Israel has barred election activities of all militant groups in east Jerusalem. Adel Abu Duhem, a receptionist at the office, said it was primarily used to teach women Islamic studies and had nothing to do with elections. Israel claims East Jerusalem as part of its capital, but the Palestinians want the area, which Israel captured in 1967, to serve as their capital in a future Palestinian state. Police confiscated computers, documents and Hamas flags and hats.