Clinton aims to bypass Hamas with nearly billion dollar aid to moderate Palestinians

Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt), Mar.2 (ANI): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hopes to sideline the Hamas by proposing an aid package of over 900 million dollars for moderate Palestinians.

According to Politico, out of this 900 million dollars, only 300 million dollars will be earmarked to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.

According to State Department spokesman Robert Wood, the balance 600 million dollars will go to support the Palestinian Authority, headquartered on the West Bank, in an effort to bypass Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza.

"We want to make sure we're not working through Hamas, but we also want to make sure we support the Palestinian Authority," Wood told reporters, adding that the aid package will have to be approved by Congress before it can be spent.

The U.S. government has no direct dealings with Hamas.

Clinton will outline the U.S. aid pledge Monday at the opening of an international conference on assistance for Gaza.

She is on her first trip to the Middle East as secretary of state and her visit is turning into an early introduction in the seemingly intractable obstacles to quick progress on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (ANI)