July/August 1995, pg. 91

Waging Peace

By Janet McMahon

AMIDEAST Helping to Develop PNA

At a June 14th Capitol Hill briefing by Azzedine Downes, director of AMIDEAST's Institutional Development Project (IDP) for the West Bank and Gaza, a common theme was the failure on all sides to understand the progress that has been made since the Sept. 13, 1993 signing of the Declaration of Principles. The outgoing AMIDEAST president, Ambassador Robert Dillon, and his successor, Ambassador William Rugh, joined Downes in expressing concern over the lack of awareness in Congress of the positive developments taking place in the autonomous territories and the PNA's failure to communicate that foreign aid is getting through and is making a difference.

Downes, who was the Peace Corps' chief of operations for Eurasia and Middle East regions prior to his AMIDEAST appointment at the beginning of this year, described the work of the USAID-funded project during its first six months as helping to strengthen PNA management, administration and budget systems through training. Many basic structural systems—such as mission statements, a standardized personnel system, and organizational charts to define the delegation of authority within and between ministries—are not yet in place, and are therefore a focus of IDP efforts.

The IDP maintains offices in Jerusalem and Gaza. Downes described communications between Gaza and the West Bank as "extremely difficult," noting that in addition to the physical separation there is "a separation of authority to a large degree."

On the other hand, he was encouraged to find among Palestinians an "ability to be self-critical." There is "an element within the rank-and-file which speaks freely and criticizes" the centralized management of the PNA, Downes said. "This is a message the Palestinians need to get out."

Between 1978 and 1994, AMIDEAST programmed some $34 million in USAID funds on Palestinian development and trained over 6,500 Palestinians, sending many to U.S. universities. Outgoing president Dillon commented that it was gratifying to see so many of these same Palestinians now in management positions and working to build their new government. This was a clear instance, Dillon concluded, when the U.S. government could see the fruits of its aid efforts.

NACC Tracks Jerusalem Legislation

The North American Coordinating Committee for NGOs on the Question of Palestine (NACC) issued two May "Urgent Action Alerts" following Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole's introduction of legislation to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The first alert described the legislation and urged concerned parties to contact their congressional representatives and the media, providing suggested "talking points" on the issues involved. The second alert, issued two weeks later, reported that "some senators and representatives have been reluctant to co-sign the proposed legislation."

Calling this development "promising," the NACC emphasized the importance of acting immediately to capitalize on this momentum, and also suggested contacting Senator Dole's campaign office: Dole for President, Inc., 810 First St. NE, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20002, tel. (202) 547-2499, fax (202) 547-2690.

The NACC represents more than 150 U.S. and Canadian NGOs, from large national organizations to smaller grassroots groups. For information on the NACC and/or the fax tree, contact Sherry Mathews, Coordinator, NACC, 1747 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009, tel. (202) 319-0757, fax (202) 319-0746.

ATFB Lauds Congressional Vote on Lifting Bosnian Embargo

Saying "They have taken the lead in the midst of indecision and the failing U.N. peacekeeping mission," the American Task Force for Bosnia hailed the 318 House members who voted on June 8 for a unilateral lifting of the arms embargo on Bosnia.

The 318-99 vote was an important bipartisan victory, with Democrats voting 120-71 and Republicans 198-28 to ignore the embargo. Calling the vote "just the first step in the struggle to stop Serb aggression," the ATFB quoted Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) as saying, "We are not going to be put off by a presidential veto, we will keep coming back."

Georgetown, AUB Reception for Author Ann Zwicker Kerr

Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and the American University of Beirut Alumni Association hosted a June 21 book-signing reception for Ann Zwicker Kerr, author of Come With Me From Lebanon: An American Family Odyssey. Currently coordinator of the Fulbright Program at UCLA, Kerr tells the story of her family's involvement with Lebanon and the American University of Beirut, of which her late husband, Malcolm, was president when he was assassinated in 1984. Come With Me From Lebanon contains excerpts from the author's diaries and from her husband's letters, along with a portrayal of the cultural diversity of Lebanon's religious groups and an historical perspective of AUB's role in the country and the region.

Janet McMahon is the managing editor of the Washington Report.