Israel Matzav

With the Eurozone about to collapse, EU spending more on 'Palestinians'

The European Monetary Union is on the verge of collapse, and the expected consequences are bad enough that Britain has warned its embassies in the Eurozone to expect rioting (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).

As I noted a couple of times last week, that has not stopped the Europeans from pledging still more money to the 'Palestinians.' Emanuele Ottolenghi and Jonathan Schanzer expand on the ridiculousness of the EU pledging money to the 'Palestinians' under the current circumstances.

An extra €100 million may not seem like that much compared to an overall budget of €147 billion for 2012, but it cannot be ignored that this is money the EU does not have. Moreover, the EU is pledging taxpayer money at a time when the only guarantee it will be spent responsibly has just disappeared.

The EU budget decision was sealed just days before a highly anticipated summit between Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Meshal of Hamas – a designated terrorist group in the EU. The two factions have been in a state of a low-level civil war since 2007, but agreed on Thursday to set a date for elections that would begin to end their feud.

According to reports in the Palestinian press, the two Palestinian rivals have not yet decided on their choice for the new premier. But their four likely choices look poor, ranging from Hamas loyalist Jamal al-Khodary to Mohammed Mustafa, the economic advisor to Mahmoud Abbas who has played a leading role in the creation of the ossified Palestinian political system.

No matter who is named, it will mean the end of Salam Fayyad – the moderate Palestinian Prime minister and former World Bank official who, thanks to his views, credentials and sound management, temporarily restored credibility, transparency and due diligence to Palestinian governance.

In other words, the EU investment is likely to backfire, and not for the first time.

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In a year of austerity, when European citizens must make additional sacrifices to avoid bankruptcy caused by reckless spending, opaque accounting practices and corrupt wastefulness, it is not too much to ask that public monies be pledged only against guarantees of nonviolence and good governance.

The coming Palestinian unity government promises to fall short on both counts. Why should Europe's tax payers increase their pledge?

Good question. Why aren't Europeans asking it?

Labels: European obsession with Israel, European support for terrorism, European Union

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:22 PM