Well, they’ve been morally bankrupt for years, why not add financial bankruptcy as well? Anyway, it’s time for the Palestinians to reap what they have sowed, and pay the price for electing a group of Hamas terrorists to run their government.
Asked to sum up the achievements of his cabinet one month after entering office, embattled Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said he was confident the Hamas cabinet would successfully complete its four-year term in office.
“We’re always optimistic,” he said. “Our optimism stems from our belief and determination that we must continue the process until the liberation of our lands.”
Haniyeh’s optimism, however, does not seem to be shared by a growing number of Palestinians, who believe they are now closer than ever to civil war and bankruptcy.
Boycotted by the international community, Haniyeh’s cabinet is still struggling to raise funds to pay salaries to more than 140,000 PA civil servants. They have not been paid for March and many of them say they can’t even afford to travel to work.
Hamas has thus far failed to raise enough funds in the Arab and Islamic world. True, its leaders have been promised tens of millions of dollars by Iran, Libya and a few Arab countries, but the money has still not been transferred to Ramallah and the Gaza Strip. A drive by Hamas to collect donations from Arabs and Muslims has also failed because of the failure of Arab banks to cooperate.
Even if the promised money does arrive, Hamas officials note, it would hardly cover the amount required to pay March’s salaries.
In addition to the financial crisis, the Hamas cabinet is also facing a political and diplomatic boycott by most of the world. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, who has just wrapped up a tour of a number of Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Libya, is about to return home with a suitcase full of promises and little cash.
The challenges facing the cabinet from home appear to be worse. Some cabinet ministers living in the West Bank are forced to use public transportation to get to work in Ramallah. Unlike their Fatah predecessors, the Hamas ministers are not equipped with Israeli-issued VIP passes enabling them to drive through IDF checkpoints without delay.
Right, like the Israelis are going be stupid enough to open their border checkpoints to a bunch of bloodthirsty Hamas thugs.
