Palestinian cash crisis looms

You —

[quote][size=18]Abbas warns of financial crisis[/size]

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said the Palestinian Authority (PA) is facing a "real financial crisis".

Mr Abbas was speaking hours after Israel approved a series of punitive measures against the PA, including withholding tax revenues.

He said aid had already begun to decrease, in the wake of Hamas' victory in Palestinian elections last month.

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the PA was becoming a "terrorist authority" and ruled out any contacts.

Mr Abbas is due to hold talks on the formation of a new Palestinian government with Hamas leaders on Monday.

He is expected to ask Hamas' Ismail Haniya to form a government, after his widely-anticipated nomination was confirmed on Sunday.

The militant group has carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings and hundreds of armed attacks against Israelis in recent years, although it has been observing an informal truce with Israel since 2005.

The US, along with the European Union, regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

The EU - the biggest donor to the PA - has threatened to stop funding unless Hamas recognises Israel, renounces violence and abides by previous peace accords.

[b]'Aid decreasing'[/b]

Speaking after the Israeli cabinet announced tough steps against the new Hamas-dominated PA, Mr Abbas said the Palestinians' situation was grave.

"Unfortunately, the pressures have begun and the support and the aid started to decrease... therefore we are currently in a real financial crisis," he told reporters in Gaza.

He confirmed that the United States had asked the PA to return $50m following Hamas' victory, but he said talks on the subject were continuing, AFP news agency reported.

Earlier Mr Olmert said Israel was not prepared to work with a PA in the hands of Hamas and said contacts would cease.

"The PA is, in practice, becoming a terrorist authority," Mr Olmert said.

"Israel will not hold contacts with the administration in which Hamas plays any part - small, large or permanent," he said.

He also announced a raft of punitive measures, including:

* Withholding monthly tax payments to the PA.

* Increased security checks at crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

* A ban on the transfer of equipment to Palestinian security forces.

* Tightening restrictions on the movement of Hamas officials.

* Ask foreign donors to stop all payments to the PA.

Israel would however allow humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinians, Mr Olmert said.

The cabinet did not adopt harsher measures proposed by security officials, in apparent deference to US calls to avoid increasing hardships for ordinary Palestinians.

[b]'Faulty decision'[/b]

Speaking to the BBC, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel did not want any money to reach the militants.

"The logic is clear: with a terrorist group now in charge of the Palestinian treasury, no-one can assure Israel that we won't see these funds come back to haunt us in the form of suicide bombers."

Non-governmental organisations working in the Palestinian territories were likely to see Israel increase its backing for their work, Mr Regev added.

The newly-elected speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Hamas legislator Aziz Duaik, said Israel's new measures would prove counter-productive.

"This is a faulty decision, and the Israelis must reconsider their decision. It will only increase hatred."

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4730568.stm]BBC News[/url][/quote]

So... what can we do to help the palestinian people?

I do not think people who were asking for democracy have any right to complain if the decision did not go their way.

Is there a central Palestinian charity where ordinary people can donate money?

Forum

*DUST* — Wed, 8 Mar 2006 - 12:11

[size=18][b]World Bank aid for Palestinians[/b][/size]

The World Bank has approved a $42m (£24m) aid package to the Palestinians, in an effort to save the current caretaker government from collapse.

The money will help the Palestinian Authority avoid the suspension of vital basic services, a statement said.

It comes as donors debate whether to stop funding the PA after militant group Hamas takes power...

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4784010.stm]BBC[/url]

You — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 - 02:10

I love the way the following headline sensationalisises a story to just become prompaganda.

I guess we all pay our taxes to NewLabour here.

Apart from that the Iranians never do themselves any favours...

[quote][size=18]Muslim world urged to fund Hamas[/size]

he Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called on the Muslim world to help the Palestinian people and their Hamas-led government.

Both he and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched strong attacks on the West as a three-day forum on Palestinian solidarity began in Tehran.

The US Treasury has this week further tightened Palestinian cash flows.

But Palestinian PM Ismail Haniya said on Friday the cuts in funds would not weaken the people's resolve.

Late on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow had agreed to provide "urgent financial aid" to the Palestinian Authority.

The US and European Union cut off aid to the authority after Hamas took power on 30 March, because the militant group refuses to renounce violence and recognise Israel.

[b]'Rotten tree'[/b]

Ayatollah Khamenei, opening the Tehran conference, said all Muslims had a duty to help the Palestinian people and should not remain indifferent to tyranny.

He launched a scathing attack on the West, saying its liberal democracy was like a poison.

He said global imperialism led by the US president openly threatened the Muslim world by talking about launching a crusade against it

President Ahmadinejad widened the attack to include Israel, which he said was "a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm".

The president provoked an international outcry last October when he cast doubts on the Holocaust and said Israel should be "wiped off the map".

On Friday he said there were no doubts about the holocaust suffered by the Palestinian people in the past 60 years and that the Palestinians should not pay the price for what the West said were crimes against Jews.

"Believe that Palestine will be freed soon," he said.

The conference came as the US Treasury banned its nationals from doing business with the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.

It said the militant Islamist group had a vested interest in the transactions of the authority.

The US is making exceptions for government entities under the direct control of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah movement is a rival of Hamas.

[b]'Oil and olives'[/b]

Mr Haniya said on Friday the suspension of Western aid to the Palestinians would never defeat the Hamas-led administration.

He said the West would not succeed in isolating the government because it had the full support of Palestinians.

"We will eat cooking oil and olives," he said.

Mr Haniya was addressing Friday prayers in Gaza before the start of a series of rallies aimed at demonstrating support for the Hamas-led administration.

In response to the financial crisis, the Russian foreign ministry said Moscow would grant the Palestinian Authority urgent financial aid.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the pledge to Mr Abbas in a telephone call, a ministry statement said.

Russia says Hamas should recognise Israel and enter negotiations but it believes denying aid is a mistake.

The militant group's political leader in exile, Khaled Meshaal, is attending the Tehran conference to gain funding pledges.

Iran has said it will fund the Hamas-led government but so far no figures have been publicly pledged and no concrete deals have yet been announced at the conference.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4911150.stm]BBC News[/url][/quote]

Omrow — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 - 02:46

Salam

As the new Israeli government was being sworn in at Jerusalem, innocent people were being murdered on the streets by terrorists.

Today a Palestinian suicide bomber Sami Salim 21 from Jenin sneaked into Israel from the West Bank, and at noon he detonated his bomb in a crowded Tel Aviv market. He belonged to the Islamic Jihad group.

5 Israelis were killed and 35 wounded.

Palestinian President condemned the terrorist act.

Palestinian Prime Minister condoned the bombing.

Omrow

You — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 - 02:20

[quote][size=18]Flash Back: A Tale of Two Cities[/size]

saw the headlines recently - a bomb blast in Haifa. Shocking; the death; the destruction; the blood. The women screaming, the innocent looking shoe. Wow, horrible. Terror. And then my mind switched to the agenda. Israel had used this martyrdom operation as a media excuse. Israel is playing using the lives of its own children in a sick game of media spin. Why are camera crews told to focus on women? Why is the human angle with names and aspiration told to us?

A few days ago there was a Palestinian woman. She had a name. She, had aspirations, hopes, dreams, she was human. I use the word was, carefully; Let me tell you about her.

Her name was Nuhi Maqadama. She was a housewife who lived with her extended family. She lived in a town called Buruji. Her aspirations in life were as most people’s are; to live in peace and improve her lot, she wanted to see her children grow up, get married get educated, she laughed, she cried, she cooked and she must have, on occasions, been unreasonable. After all she was human.

I wonder what her dreams were when she bled to death waiting for an ambulance; I wonder what she was thinking about, her children, her in-laws, her family, and the hereafter? Maybe a higher cause, maybe she was thinking “If this is one more life to get freedom for Palestine then I gladly give it”.

Maybe, though I doubt it very much. I think she was thinking; if she was conscious, (as the media never reported it- we don’t know). “Allah, help me not for me but for my nine month old baby, that’s due in 10 days time.” I think she was thinking “Oh Allah let me die I can’t stand the pain of being crushed!” I think her aspirations were to live at that moment, at that moment when the angel of death arrives you’re in Allah’s hands, but until then your mind is alive and death is not welcome. The ambulance didn’t arrive as the Israeli army stopped them.

Funny isn’t it how many of us knew that. Yes in the liberal press it was reported and in a few smatterings of BBC reports; but now compare that with the bombing of Haifa. See the panic, see the fear, and see the devastation. Israel will use this as an opportunity to impress on the world how important and how akin they are to the West in their constant war against terrorists. They will make the link between Islam and Terror.

And all the while we wring our hands, and cup our heads and cry a bit. We talk a good talk but the BBC will still carry on being biased, B-Sky-B and the Telegraph will still push a one-sided view, influencing opinion and policy. And we gnash our teeth and feel helpless.

Our only weapon is our mind and we have allowed it o become dull. When we most need to use it we don’t. We haven’t been trained and we haven’t been exposed to our sister Nuhi’s death. Well the truth is we have chosen not to be exposed, we have chosen to hide, and we have chosen not to donate.

And I for one don’t just blame the Israelis I blame the Muslims in equal measure. The Israeli kill and manipulate the media, and we sit by. MPACUK asks for funding and we neither get help nor money. Nuhi died while nine months pregnant and we watch the news reports promoting Israeli loss as if it’s greater than the Palestinian’s loss. As an Ummah stop asking MPACUK to stop criticizing, Ask Nuhi what she would say, and ask yourself how many more Nuhi’s have to die before you fund us so we can stop UK tax money supporting Israel or UK media fighting the Israelis propaganda War.

Life’s About Choices, Choose To Give [/quote]

[url=http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/1458/1/]MPACuk[/url]

Dave — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 - 17:17

[quote="Augustus"]If Hamas attacked now it's in the name of the Palestinian State, allowing Israel to formally declare war on the PA.

I hope they realize this[/quote]

[quote="*DUST*"][quote][size=18][b]Hamas faces fresh world pressure[/b][/size]

[b]International pressure is mounting on the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA) in the wake of a suicide bombing that killed nine people in Israel.[/b]

Hamas described Monday's bombing, carried out by the Islamic Jihad group, as an act of "self-defence".[/quote]

...[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4917704.stm]BBC[/url][/quo…]

This is not going to end well. 1967 except with nuclear weapons.

Omrow — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 - 21:42

Salam

I think Israel may be in serious trouble:

British Foreign Secretary is about to go to bed with the newly elected Hamas government.

[quote]
Daily Telegraph

Thursday 20 April 2006

Britain wants to have "normal relations" with Hamas and is seeking means of unfreezing millions of pounds worth of aid to Palestinians, Jack Straw said yesterday, in a striking softening of tone.

Two days after a Palestinian suicide bombing killed nine people in Tel Aviv, the Foreign Secretary appeared to be moving away from America's policy of isolating the new Hamas-led Palestinian government and starving it of funds.

[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/20/wmid20…]
[/quote]

Is that not appeasing the terrorists ?

Omrow

*DUST* — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 - 23:02

[quote="† Don Karnage"][quote="Augustus"][b]If Hamas attacked now[/b] it's in the name of the Palestinian State, allowing Israel to formally declare war on the PA.

I hope they realize this[/quote]

This is not going to end well. 1967 except with nuclear weapons.[/quote]
Hamas did not attack. the suicide bombing was carried out by 'Islamic Jihad' and 'Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade', two completely seperate groups, the latter is actually affiliated to the Fatah political movement.

You — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 - 00:50

either way, what will happen IMO is that because we have both sides ruled by hardliners, a short term escalation, and then (hopefully!) both sides, after staring at the abyss will come to their senses.

Otherwise this will continue with violence begetting violence.

One thing I gotta say though was that the Israeli gov trated the Hamas gov with more respect than they had previously treated the Fatah lead gov... they were decidedly more reasonable.