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Haroon Abu Araa has come a long way. In the 15 years I have known him I have seen the transformation in maturity â€" from a university student, to a radical activist, to his present day position as director of Al Quds Educational Television in Ramallah. Haroon took me on a tour this week of the media lab at Al Quds University that was funded last year by USAID. He proudly explained how 450 media students at Al Quds University would benefit from this high tech lab. He made sure that visitors noticed the fact that local companies also shared by supplying furniture for the media lab.

But Abu Araa’s excitement was mixed with pessimism due to the fact that this important development has now been interrupted by a decision of Congress to halt funding to Palestinians.

Supporting the media lab is part of a three-year plan designed with Internews Network that included training of faculty, developing media curriculum and helping Palestinians build up a vibra! nt and independent audio visual media industry. This unexpected temporary halt of approved and planned programs by USAID is seen as punishment to the Palestinian people for their leadership’s decision to seek statehood recognition in the UN.

The hold that members of Congress have placed on funding for Palestinians includes many other areas that are critical to the nation building process that the entire world, including the US and Israel, is in favor of. It includes, for example, support to educational programs such as the model schools and preschool education. In a young society, such as the Palestinians, where the majority of the population is under 25 years, what is invested in children will yield dividends in the future.

Palestinian children in their formative years are perhaps one of the most critical groups in this regard. With the public and private sectors unable to build enough preschools to meet a growing demand, education through multimedi! a becomes crucial. Palestinian educational ministry sources es! timated that as much as 65 percent of all Palestinian children enter first grade without ever being exposed to any pre school learning. Perhaps this is why Palestinian educators have embraced the USAID-funded educational programs targeting children in these formative years. For years, Israelis and pro-Israeli groups have focused on the need for concepts of peace and reconciliation to include education and mass media targeting children.

Shara’a Simsim, the Palestinian Sesame street program, has introduced both cognitive skills in learning the alphabet and numbers, as well as crucial life skills. Sharing, tolerance, and mutual respect are introduced to children through colorful and lovable muppet character with names such as Karim and Hanin and a setting similar to those any Palestinian child is familiar with.

The educational program is not only focused on television. Preschool teachers’ training, as well as outreach program, has ensured that the process is a! holistic one. A comprehensive websiteâ€" sharaasimim.ps â€"has also been created providing information, games and materials for children, parents, teachers and the entire preschool community. Entrances of major Palestinian cities have billboards announcing this website and encouraging families to use this important resource.

This important progress in planting positive seeds for the future of Palestine and the region are going to be rudely interrupted by ill-advised US politicians. The importance of these programs was underlined by none other than the US Secretary of Defense, who came to Israel seeking Tel Aviv’s help with his own country’s house of representatives. Former USAID director Howard Sumka, who was instrumental in getting many of these programs started, has called the congressional meddling shooting ones own foot.

All this didn’t escape Haroon Abu Araa who says that he was dreaming of creating a satellite channel focused entirely on P! alestinian children using the sesame programs as one of its ma! jor cont ent. Commenting on the negative decision by the US congress, Abu Araa expressed puzzlement on how things have developed over the years. “The past few years have seen major change in public perception,” he told me. “People have really come to respect and appreciate what the US is doing in Palestine.” Now in one move they will be ruining all the accomplishments they have made in at least the last ten years. I wonder if the generous people in America know all this?
 
 Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian columnist and former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. Follow him on twitter at twitter.com/daoudkuttab