Ezra HaLevi
The heavily-funded Fatah-headed Palestinian Authority seems to be preparing to reunite with the Islamist Hamas, effectively channeling international aid to a united terrorist front. Several Fatah leaders, led by Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, visited Hamas leader Mahmoud a-Zahar Thursday in Gaza City, the first time the parties have held direct talks since the Hamas military takeover in Gaza last summer. A-Zahar is one of the founder of Hamas. The Islamist group decided to place him in the position of Foreign Minister rather than Prime Minister due to his known support for the killing of Jewish civilians. The visit followed a phone call from Abbas to a-Zahar, whose son, a terrorist leader, was killed in an IDF strike.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will not continue negotiations with Abbas if Fatah renews attempts to forge an alliance with Hamas. Billions of dollars in aid money, as well as arms and training, have been supplied to Fatah on the condition that it act against Hamas and other Islamic terrorist groups.
However, Abbas’s regime intends to spend 40 percent of the recently-pledged international aid in Hamas-controlled Gaza, according to a senior PA official.
Fatah PA Labor and Planning Minister Samir Abdullah, said that of the $7.7 billion pledged by donor countries, 40 percent would be channeled to Gaza.
Funding has already begun to flow into PA accounts from the European Union, Saudi Arabia and France.
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