Shameful and outrageous dhimmitude at State. From the World Tribune:
The United States has avoided any mention of Israeli participation in the international aid effort for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
In a briefing on Sept. 6, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack focused on Arab offers of assistance to the United States.
“We also have received several large, very large, donations from Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates,” McCormack said. “We have also seen donations made to the Red Cross from Australia, China, India, Ireland, Japan, Maldives, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.”
Officials said more than 90 countries and organizations have offered nearly $1 billion in assistance to Katrina victims. They cited helicopters from Canada, Russia and Singapore as well as ready-to-eat meals from Britain, Germany, Italy and Mexico. Bahrain has offered $5 million, a decision that sparked a storm in parliament.
Earlier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also thanked donors for the Katrina relief effort. Ms. Rice cited offers of assistance from numerous countries, including China and France. She did not mention Israel.
Officials acknowledged that Israel was one of the first countries to offer to send military and civilian teams to New Orleans. But they said the administration, which has highlighted offers of aid from Islamic governments as well as American Arab and Muslim groups, asked Israel to postpone sending aid until a later stage.
The new Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes has been tasked with the presenting an image of a benign America sensitive to the Arab and Muslim world, U.S. officials said.