For the last sixty years, the Palestinians have suffered badly enough at the hands of others. It is now officially revealed that it was not just others; some of their own people have been plundering large quantities of the precious money they have been given by outsiders, which was supposed to fund the transition toward full statehood.
The poverty and terror in which the great majority of Palestinians have been forced to survive, particularly in Gaza, brought often-generous assistance from official and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the Arab world and far beyond. The immediate need was health and education but then came jobs and infrastructure. The poor majority of Palestinians had little left to them except their lives and their dignity. Many outside countries recognized and responded to their plight.
The revelations yesterday by Palestinian Attorney General Ahmed Al-Moghani that upward of $700 million may have been stolen in the last few years by corrupt Palestinian officials and politicians does more than stir outrage. It produces a feeling of deepest nausea. If any of the 50 cases of theft and embezzlement currently being investigated by the Palestinian authorities produces clear evidence that these awful crimes have indeed been committed, then the perpetrators, whoever they may be, are beneath contempt, because they have behaved with the utmost cruelty and selfishness.
Some sources are alleging that the figure spirited away may be as much as $1 billion, fully a fifth of all money given to the Palestinians in the last five years. Other observers, including a World Bank official, say that very large quantities of money have been wasted through maladministration and incompetence. Since 1994, when limited self-government was given to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, it has been Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement that has run affairs. These crimes took place on Fatah’s watch and certainly involved some Fatah politicians and officials. Other Fatah people were too lazy or too incompetent to spot and stop what was going on. Those few in the movement who feared the worst and tried to protest to the leadership were slapped down.
This massive failure of a political party too long in power explains why the electorate rejected Fatah by such a stunning margin and gave their support to Hamas. A new Hamas government may decide to drive home the political advantage of exposing the cupidity and bungling of Fatah by pushing the prosecutions. This is not however the best reason for laying bare the corruption and payola, however far it extends.
Far more important is the attitude of the international community which has seen its generous gifts to the many poor of Palestine end up in the pockets of a relatively few officials. Donor confidence is no doubt already shaken by the revelations. The best way to restore it is by making a full and fair investigation into what happened, blaming the blunderers and punishing the guilty. Anything less will play into the hands of their enemies.
