Glenn Kessler
President Bush has proposed a sixfold increase in aid to the Palestinians, including $150 million in direct cash transfers to the Palestinian Authority, in an effort to bolster the government in advance of a Middle East peace conference planned in Annapolis. The $435 million in additional aid, on top of $77 million requested earlier this year, would constitute the administration’s largest amount of direct aid to the PA. State Department officials said the money is a signal that substantial aid will flow to leaders who reject terrorism.