Israel Matzav

'Palestinian Authority' to stop financing Hamas?

London-based Asharq Awasat reports that the 'Palestinian Authority' has finally decided to stop sending money to Gaza - except to its own employees there.

Authoritative sources in the Fatah movement have asserted to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Palestinian leadership has decided to stop all the funds it pays to the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority's [PA] budget apart from the salaries of its own employees.

According to the sources, this decision was taken the night before yesterday at an extraordinary meeting of the Palestinian leadership that President Mahmud Abbas called for holding. They said the PA is financing the coup in the Strip and paying the electricity, water, and fuel bills to the Israelis while the Hamas leadership waits for these supplies to reach it.

Fatah movement leaders tried to keep these decisions secret and when Asharq Al-Awsat asked some of them in Bethlehem's hotels they said such decisions would be announced at the end of the movement 6th Congress. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the political department in the Legislative Council, replied: "Measures will be taken at the highest levels which Hamas does not expect and we will be keen not to let the Gazan citizen pay the price."

Abbas Zaki, the PA's ambassador in Beirut who is a candidate for Fatah's Central Committee, hinted that such a decision would be taken by telling the official Palestinian television that "the PA might have naively financed the coup. Do not forget that we pay the salaries of 77,000 employees and give 58 percent of the PA budget to the Strip. This will not remain since Hamas does not understand the rules of the game and national action" and added" I tell Hamas if you see the lion's baring its teeth do not think it is smiling."

The sources went on to say: "We are paying a heavy price to the Israelis for everything that enters Gaza and Hamas seizes them and then we are accused of participating in the blockade. We believe this farce should end and Hamas must shoulder its responsibility toward the people over whom it has installed itself." The PA's response is expected at the end of the Fatah Congress.

Read the whole thing (it was published on Tuesday but took a while to show up in English).

It goes without saying that the 'Palestinian Authority' will not be blamed for the ensuing 'starving Gazans' just like Egypt is not blamed today. But it will tighten the noose around Gaza if no one has money to pay for all the goodies being smuggled in from Egypt through the tunnels. Maybe if they have no money with which to buy food, it will cause Gazans to try fighting Hamas.

Well, we can dream anyway. Unfortunately, a lot of the Gazan support for Hamas is genuine.

I guess we won't be seeing any peace-loving scenes between Hamas and Fatah for a while.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:53 AM