Hamas and Fatah Already Fighting Over Gaza Funds
by Khaled Abu Toameh
September 20, 2014 at 5:00 am
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4716/hamas-fatah-gaza-money
"Armed robbery in broad daylight." รข?? Palestinians, after Hamas "seized"
$750,000 from Gaza bank.
Fatah accused Hamas of "squandering" $700 million of financial aid earmarked
for the Palestinian victims of war. Fatah wants to ensure that the millions
of dollars intended for the Gaza Strip will pass through its hands and not
end up in Hamas's bank accounts. Relying on Fatah in this regard is like
asking a cat to guard the milk.
The head of the Palestinian Authority's Anti-Corruption Commission revealed
that his group has retrieved $70 million of public funds fund embezzled by
Palestinian officials. Arab and Western donors need to make sure that their
money does not end up (once again) in the wrong hands. Without a proper
mechanism of accountability and transparency, hundreds of millions of
dollars are likely to find their way into the bank accounts of both Hamas
and Fatah leaders.
As efforts are underway to hold an international conference in Cairo for the
reconstruction of the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Operation Protective
Edge, the two major Palestinian parties, Hamas and Fatah, are already
accusing each other of stealing funds that were channeled to help
Palestinian families.
It is not clear at this stage how much money has made its way into the Gaza
Strip since the Egypt-brokered cease-fire was announced late August.
But it is clear by now that both Hamas and Fatah are engaged in a fight over
who will control the funds and assume responsibility for the reconstruction
of the Gaza Strip.
The war between Hamas and Fatah over the funds earmarked for the residents
of the Gaza Strip is being fought over every penny and dollar. This is a
power struggle in which the only losers are those Palestinians who lost
their homes and family members during the military confrontation with
Israel.
Hamas and Fatah know that hundreds of millions of dollars will sooner or
later be allocated by Arab and Western donors for the reconstruction of the
Gaza Strip. The two parties are determined to lay their hands on the funds,
knowing that he who controls the money controls the people.
Both Hamas and Fatah are desperate for cash and are ready to do everything
to enrich their coffers, even if that means robbing a bank.
This is exactly what Hamas did last week. Sources in the Gaza Strip said
that Hamas security officers raided the Bank of Palestine in Gaza City's
Rimal neighborhood and "seized" $750,000 in cash.
The sources said that the cash belonged to the Palestinian Jawwal Cellular
Company. They said that the raid on the bank came on the pretext that the
company had not paid all its tax debts to Hamas. Palestinians in the Gaza
Strip described the raid as an "armed robbery in broad daylight."
The "armed robbery" came shortly after Fatah accused Hamas of "squandering"
$700 million of financial aid earmarked for the Palestinian victims of the
war. It is not clear where this large sum came from.
Fatah spokesman Ahmed Assaf claimed in an interview with an Egyptian TV
station that the funds were donations from many countries. He said that
Hamas collected the donations "in the name of children, women and the
elderly under the pretext of rebuilding what was destroyed by Israel." The
money, he added, did not reach its destination.
Assaf's charges are seen as part of a Fatah-orchestrated campaign to prevent
donors from dealing with Hamas. Fatah wants to ensure that the millions of
dollars intended for the Gaza Strip will pass through its hands and not end
up in Hamas's bank accounts.
During the military confrontation, Fatah leaders in Ramallah issued a strong
condemnation of Hamas. They said the Islamist movement was stealing relief
aid dispatched to the Gaza Strip and distributing it among its followers in
mosques.
But then who said that Fatah could be trusted when it comes to distributing
financial aid? Relying on Fatah in this regard is like asking a cat to guard
the milk.
The 20-year-old Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority [PA] is notorious for
its financial and administrative corruption.
Earlier this month, Rafik Natsheh, head of the PA's Anti-Corruption
Commission, revealed that his department has managed to retrieve $70 million
of public funds embezzled by Palestinian officials. He also said that his
department uncovered 60 more cases of financial corruption in 2013.
But what is most notable is that some Fatah officials are now accusing their
own supporters of stealing funds provided by the PA leadership to the Gaza
Strip. A Fatah-affiliated news website revealed that Fatah leaders in the
Gaza Strip have been distributing the funds among their family members and
friends. The report said that Hamas officials also succeeded in laying their
hands on the funds arriving from the office of the Palestinian Authority
president in Ramallah.
A Fatah member in the Gaza Strip was quoted as saying, "A Palestinian
Authority official bought chocolate for 300 Shekels ($90) while our men are
being ignored and cannot afford to use public transportation or feed their
children."
He and dozens of Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip wrote a letter to PA
President Mahmoud Abbas, asking him to form a commission of inquiry into the
embezzlement of financial aid meant for Palestinian families.
The rising tensions between Hamas and Fatah following the war do not bode
well for efforts to achieve Palestinian "national unity."
Some PLO leaders in Ramallah are now talking about a permanent split between
the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a result of the Hamas-Fatah power struggle.
PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo said this week that the Gaza Strip
was "closer than ever to being separated from the West Bank" due to the
ongoing Fatah-Hamas rivalry.
However, what is at stake here is not only Palestinian "unity." Fatah and
Hamas will continue to fight and quarrel over everything from financial to
political and ideological issues. "Unity" is one victim of this power
struggle. The other victim is the effort to rebuild the Gaza Strip and help
its residents.
When they are not fighting over political and ideological matters, Hamas and
Fatah are scrambling for money. Under the current circumstances, Arab and
Western donors who are willing to contribute to helping the Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip need to make sure that their money does not end up (once
again) in the wrong hands. Without a proper mechanism of accountability and
transparency, hundreds of millions of dollars are likely to find their way
into the bank accounts of both Hamas and Fatah leaders.
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