How the sons of...Abu Mazen "won" US contracts

"Firms run by sons of President Mahmoud Abbas won U.S. government aid contracts to repair roads -- and America's image -- in the Palestinian territories, previously undisclosed documents show. A review by Reuters of internal U.S. government records about aid programmes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip found that construction and public relations firms managed by Tarek Abbas and Yasser Mahmoud Abbas received over $2 million in contracts and subcontracts since 2005, when their father became president...Family ties were not a consideration, the U.S. agency said. Likewise, Kareem Shehadeh, a lawyer for Abbas's sons, told Reuters their ties to the president were not a factor, calling any suggestion of favouritism "unethical and baseless...In doing so, USAID, which says it is a leader in promoting transparency, cited confidentiality and security concerns. Dozens of other documents obtained by Reuters detailed how USAID, ahead of the 2006 election, funded projects to promote Abbas's administration without disclosing its role. A 2007 U.S. "fact sheet" described a post-election strategy of providing "targeted, discreet support to emerging leaders, independent media, and selected civil society efforts." Watchdog groups questioned USAID's level of transparency. "When we're supposed to be promoting democratic ideals and restoring trust and faith in the American system of government, it's ridiculous that the American government isn't releasing complete and accurate contract information," said Scott Amey, general counsel for the Project on Government Oversight in Washington. He called the USAID redactions "disingenuous." According to USAID documents obtained by Reuters, Falcon signed a 2005 prime contract for a sewage project in the southern West Bank, while Sky launched a PR campaign in 2006 to improve America's image in the Palestinian territories."