When yesterday’s Haaretz reported that the Palestinian Authority received $900 million in foreign aid despite the world’s boycott of Hamas, we wondered, Where’s the Money? Today’s Financial Times sheds some light:
The European Union, traditionally the PA’s biggest donor, has so far declined to lift a ban on paying aid directly to the finance ministry. Mr Fayyad has moved to circumvent it by encouraging donors to pay into a Palestine Liberation Organisation account that he controls. The PLO is not subject to the sanctions.
Foreign aid to the Palestinians is only palatable if you don’t ask to many questions about the different accounts, who controls them, and possible conflicts of interest.
