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The Palestinian Money Trail
(Israelinsider) Mitchell G. Bard - Palestinians living inside the PA have been given far greater international financial support than most other suffering peoples. Yet significant amounts of financial aid have been siphoned off by Arafat and other PA officials for their personal benefit. By the end of 2001, the Palestinians had received $4 billion (the figure is now closer to $5.5 billion) since the 1993 Oslo agreements - $1,330 per Palestinian. Records seized by Israel showed that hundreds of activists in Fatah, Tanzim, and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades were put on the PA payroll, drawing salaries that allowed them to engage in attacks against Israel without having to worry about earning a living. Arafat has created 27 monopolies to insure that he and his loyalists profit from every industry, such as cement, flour, oil, cigarettes, iron, and commercial sand. Arafat's economic advisor Muhammad Rashid, together with Suha Arafat (Arafat's wife) and communications advisor Nabil Abu-Roudayna, co-own pharmaceutical and apparel monopolies. Rashid and Arafat advisor Hassan Asfour co-own an oil monopoly. Nabil Sha'ath has a computer monopoly; and Abu Ala is co-owner of cigarette and dairy monopolies.