At the summit of Arab leaders, which hastily convened in Cairo soon after the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada, a pledge was made to transfer $1 billion worth of funds to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, to compensate them for both the physical and economic losses they were incurring in their struggle with Israeli military forces. However, today, some five months after the summit, the bulk of the money has yet to arrive.
The reasons as to why the Arab states have not followed through on their self-acknowledged largesse are many and varied. They include claims about a variety bureaucratic obstacles and hints about corruption in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which apparently are meant to imply that, were the money actually transferred, it most probably would not be handed over to those who really need it.
Be that as it may, while the all-Arab assistance to their Palestinian brethren has been confined mainly cries of outrage and verbal proclamations of support, the economic state of the residents of the West Bank and Gaza has continued to deteriorate. According to a report recently released by the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Palestinians, from October 2000 through January 2001, Palestinian laborers lost $240 million worth of work hours as a result of the blockade that prevented them from getting to their jobs in Israel.
But, when it comes to putting their money where their mouths are, it appears as if the Europeans are far more attuned to the predicament of the Palestinians under siege. With reports circulating once again about a general collapse of basic services in the West Bank and Gaza, the European Union once again is reportedly putting together an emergency aid package that should allow the PNA to pay salaries and keep the wheels of government turning for a while longer.
Speaking recently to Albawaba.com, Fraih Abu Meddein, the Palestinian minister of justice, delivered a blistering attack on the behavior of Arab leadership, and expressed his dissatisfaction with terms that had demanded from the Palestinians before any funds would be transferred. The Arab states, Abu Meddein stated, demanded an even greater level of transparency than did the World Bank.
It was within this context that an Albawaba source drew attention to a generous offer made by the government of Qatar to the Czech-born Swiss tennis star, Martina Hingis. Reportedly, in return for millions of US dollars and life-long tax exemption, Qatar was willing to extend to Hingis Qatari citizenship, so that she could represent the oil and gas-rich Gulf state at the next summer Olympic games, scheduled to take place in Athens in 2004. Hingis, it is said, politely turned down the offer. So it seems then that Qatar will have some money left over for the still-waiting Palestinians –Albawaba.com
