Israel Matzav

Where your taxes are going

The next time you see a report of how much money your government (and mine) are giving the 'Palestinian Authority,' consider where that money might be going:

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday declared his willingness to patch up his differences with Hamas and called for international and Arab protection for the Palestinians who, he said, were being subjected to killings and theft of their land by Israel on a daily basis. [Israel has not taken any land in a LONG time. CiJ]

Addressing the 20th Arab summit in Damascus, Abbas condemned Israel for its various measures against the Palestinians, warning that such actions would sabotage the peace process.

The PLO supported the Yemeni initiative to resolve the Hamas-Fatah dispute and he was prepared to implement it unconditionally and immediately, Abbas said. He called on Hamas to end its "coup" in the Gaza Strip and to agree to hold early legislative and presidential elections as envisaged in the Yemeni plan.

"In the past, the Palestinian leadership managed to reach the Mecca agreement [with Hamas in February 2007] as a way to end the blockade on the Gaza Strip and unite the Palestinians," Abbas said. "In spite of this, Hamas carried out its military coup [in June 2007], which posed new challenges to us. The coup has split the Palestinian homeland and given Israel a weapon for political blackmail."

Abbas said the PA was continuing to channel funds to the Gaza Strip despite the Hamas takeover, and that 58 percent of its budget went there in the past year.

The PA was paying salaries to some 77,000 employees in the Gaza Strip, as compared to 73,000 in the West Bank, he said. The PA had also exempted the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from paying taxes and health fees, Abbas said.

By the way, Hamas denies that the PA is putting 58% of its budget into Gaza. No contradiction there. The PA is paying its own employees and not Hamas'.

Aren't you glad to hear that they're paying all those people to do nothing?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:57 AM