From the Desk of a Male Pale and Stale

Previously on “The Palestinian and Israeli Conflict”, in “What the Quran Says About Israel Will Surprise You” (22 November 2023), I described how the Israeli nation, particularly the Jews, have a spiritual and possessive connection with the land that goes back over 3000 years. They will never surrender their gains in light of what has happened to them historically. Ironically, it is this resolve that is a financial boon to some people and leaves the Israelis open to manipulation.

In my next article, “Middle East Realpolitik” (23 November 2023), I described how the “Two State Solution” had been tabled several times and, on each occasion, while it was the Israelis who came to the table, it was the “Palestinian leadership” that left the table; in some cases, “inexplicably”. The example of the “Camp David Summit” in July 2000, was provided:

…at a critical juncture in the discussions, Arafat abruptly left the negotiations without offering any clear explanation or rationale¹.

TO CONTINUE…

The UN has two primary refugee support programs – one for most of the world and another specific program for Palestinians. These are:

1. The UNHCR: Established on December 14, 1950, by the UN General Assembly in response to the displacement of Europeans following World War II, the UN Refugee Agency, known as UNHCR, initially had a three-year mandate. Despite the intention to disband after completion, the adoption of the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees prompted its continuous operation. Since then, UNHCR has remained dedicated to aiding refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced and stateless individuals. Working under the authority of the UN General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, UNHCR actively pursues solutions for refugees, including voluntary repatriation, local integration, or resettlement ^{2, 3, 4}.
2. The UNRWA: Formed in 1949 by the UN General Assembly, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established specifically to aid approximately 750,000 Palestine refugees who had lost both their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Over time, UNRWA expanded its mandate to include the needs of Palestine refugees affected by the 1967, 6 Day War and subsequent hostilities. It is distinct for its dedication to a single refugee population. UNRWA delivers a wide range of services across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip ^{5, 6, 7}.

Interestingly, and we may see why in this article, after 75 years the UNRWA is still needed and continues to operate and provide services to Palestinians.

• Incidentally, the UNRWA is currently facing a severe financial crisis and is appealing for urgent funding to sustain its humanitarian and development programmes ^{8, 9, 10}.

• But before any individual, or country, transfers funds I recommend you finish reading this article.

UNHCR Beneficiaries (2022): A budget of approximately $10.7 billion USD was allocated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to address the needs of over 82.4 million people worldwide ¹¹. This is approximately USD $130/head, an amount distributed to refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and stateless individuals, among others.

UNRWA Beneficiaries: A budget of approximately $1.6 billion USD was allocated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to the approximately 5.8 million registered Palestinian refugees and their descendants across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip¹², which is approximately USD $276/head, i.e. over twice as much as anyone else.

The Palestinian refugees have received at least 35.5 billion USD from the UN since its inception¹³ and had other sources of income which we shall mention later in this piece.

The Palestinian Liberation Army (PLA) is the military wing of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It was first created in 1964 as the official military branch of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO itself was founded in the same year at an Arab summit meeting in Alexandria, Egypt¹⁴.

Yasser Arafat (full name Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini) was a well-known leader associated with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Liberation Army (PLA). He joined at its inception and essentially ‘died in-office’, as the President of the Palestinian National Authority and the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, on November 11, 2004. His estimated personal worth at the time was at least USD $300 million but possibly USD 1 billion or more as, according to a report by CBS News, Arafat diverted nearly $1 billion in public funds to ensure his political survival, and had a secret portfolio worth close to $1 billion, with investments in various companies and funds around the world, including a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Ramallah, a Tunisian cell phone company, venture capital funds in the US and the Cayman Islands, airlines, banana plantations, and high-tech companies. He had bank accounts in Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, and the Cayman Islands. He regularly transferred funds to his wife Suha, who lived lavishly in Paris^{16, 17, 18}. The details were cited by Jim Prince, an American accountant hired by Arafat’s own finance ministry, who was investigating Arafat’s books¹⁵.

Taxes collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority were transferred to Arafat under the Oslo Accords, but were not fully accounted for or spent on public services, i.e. Arafat extorted the Israelis to collect taxes on his behalf, lest there be trouble – and the monies were delivered not to the Palestinian government but diverted. Further, donations from Arab states and the European Union, which were intended for the Palestinian people and their cause, were diverted by Arafat to his personal accounts or investments and those of his wife and cronies.

Regarding his inexplicable departure from the peace talks at Camp David in July 2000¹⁹, possibly his accountant, his wife and/or or cronies called him and cautioned him of a potential decline in his financial fortunes and a possible investigation, if a peace accord were agreed(!) ^{20, 21}.

• I am guessing that, at this point, you may now be a bit hesitant to reach for your credit card and send money to the UNRWA or the PLO; if so then you are smarter than the NZ Labour Government.

New Zealand has been a dedicated donor to UNRWA since 1951, providing consistent levels of funding to the Programme Budget through multiyear agreements, as well as ad hoc support to the Emergency Appeals. According to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand increased its support to UNRWA in 2018 by providing an additional NZD $1.5 million (US$1 million) to the agency’s emergency appeal for Palestine, bringing the total support to NZD $3.9 million in 2018. New Zealand has also renewed its longstanding multiyear support to UNRWA by signing a three-year agreement (2022-2024) totalling NZD 3 million (US$ 1.8 million) to support core UNRWA programmes for Palestine refugees across the Middle East^22,23.

However, in 2019, New Zealand temporarily suspended its funding to UNRWA following an internal report that found allegations of serious ethical abuses within the agency. The suspension was lifted later that year after UNRWA assured the NZ ministry they had taken steps to address the issues^24,25. (There seems to be no end to ideological gullibility.)

In 2006, two years after Arafat’s death, elections were held in the West Bank and Gaza, to put in place a new democratic leadership for the Palestinian people. The two primary parties involved included Fatah (founded by Yasser Arafat) and an organization called “Hamas”.

Hamas was founded in 1987 during the first intifada, or uprising, against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip²⁶. Hamas is an acronym of its official name, the Islamic Resistance Movement, and it emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist religious and political group that had been active in Gaza since the 1950s²⁷. Hamas opposes the peace process and the recognition of Israel and advocated armed resistance and the establishment of an Islamic state across all of historical Palestine²⁸. Hamas had built a network of social and charitable institutions that provided services to the Palestinian population, especially in Gaza, where it gained popular support²⁹.

Hamas was participating in the Palestinian legislative elections for the first time and won a surprising victory over the ruling Fatah party, which had dominated the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) since its creation in 1994. Hamas won 74 out of 132 seats in the parliament, while Fatah won 45^{30, 31}. The election results reflected the dissatisfaction of many Palestinians with the corruption and inefficiency of the Fatah-led PNA, as well as the failure of the peace process to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and to create a viable Palestinian state³².

Hamas formed a government led by Ismail Haniyeh as Prime Minister, but faced international isolation and sanctions from Israel, the United States, and the European Union, which considered Hamas a terrorist organization³³.

As well as international resistance Hamas faced internal challenges from Fatah, which refused to accept its defeat and retained control of the security forces and the presidency. As the two parties have different ideologies and visions for the Palestinian cause, the tensions between the two factions escalated into a violent conflict. Hundreds of deaths and injuries occurred, as well as human rights violations and abuses by both sides. In 2007, this conflict resulted in the split of the Palestinian territories with Hamas taking over Gaza and Fatah retaining the West Bank³⁴. Since then, the two factions have ruled separately, with Fatah controlling the West Bank and Hamas controlling Gaza (whence the majority of attacks came on October 7^th, 2023)³⁵.

Since then, the split between Palestinians has been a roadblock to peace as there are now two separate and antagonistic parties for Israel to negotiate with in order to resolve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Under these difficult circumstances not all Palestinians have suffered equally. Just as with Arafat and his bloated wealth, and his access to a lavish lifestyle, we now also have the three leaders of Hamas.

Ismail Haniyeh: He is the head of the Hamas political bureau and the overall leader of the group. He was born in 1963 in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza. He joined Hamas in 1987, when the group was founded as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. He became a close aide to the group’s founder and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was killed by Israel in 2004. He was elected as the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2006, after Hamas won the parliamentary elections. He was dismissed by President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007, after Hamas seized control of Gaza from Fatah forces. He remained the de facto leader of Gaza until 2017, when he was elected as the head of the Hamas political bureau, succeeding Khaled Meshaal. He is considered a pragmatist who maintains good relations with various Palestinian factions and regional actors. He has been living in exile in Qatar and Turkey since 2018, due to Israeli threats and Egyptian restrictions. His net worth is estimated to be more than $4 billion USD, according to some sources³⁶.

Yahya Sinwar: He is the leader of Hamas in Gaza and the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau. He was born in 1962 in the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza. He joined Hamas in 1987 and founded the group’s internal security service, known as Majd. He was arrested by Israel in 1988 and sentenced to four life terms for his involvement in the kidnapping and killing of two Israeli soldiers. He was released in 2011, as part of a prisoner swap deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was held captive by Hamas for five years. He became the leader of Hamas in Gaza in 2017, replacing Ismail Haniyeh. He is considered a hardliner who advocates armed resistance against Israel and opposes any reconciliation with Fatah. He is also seen as a charismatic and popular leader among the people of Gaza, especially the youth. He survived an assassination attempt by Israel in 2019, which sparked a brief escalation of violence. His net worth is estimated to be about $2–3 billion USD, according to some sources. He currently lives in Qatar, where he enjoys a life of luxury and protection^{37, 38, 39}.

Mohammed Deif: He is the commander of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. He was born in 1965 in Khan Yunis in Gaza. He joined Hamas in 1987 and became a member of the Qassam Brigades in 1992. He rose through the ranks and became the commander of the Qassam Brigades in 2002, after the previous leader, Salah Shehadeh, was killed by Israel. He is responsible for planning and executing many attacks against Israel, including suicide bombings, rocket fire, and tunnel raids. He is also credited with developing the Qassam Brigades’ arsenal and capabilities, such as drones, anti-tank missiles, and naval commandos. He is the most wanted man by Israel, which has tried to assassinate him at least six times, leaving him severely wounded and disabled. He is a mysterious figure who rarely appears in public or media. He is revered by Hamas and its supporters as a mastermind and a hero. His net worth is estimated to be about $5 billion USD, according to some sources. He currently lives in Qatar, where he enjoys a life of luxury and protection^{40, 41}.

• In summary, while the people of Gaza live in poverty, they are gouged for money by Hamas leaders whose net worth is $11 Billion USD, or more, and who live in luxury.

War profiteering is the practice of making money from a war or a conflict, often by exploiting the needs and suffering of the people affected by it. War profiteering can fuel violence, corruption, and human rights violations, and it can undermine peace and stability. For instance, Hamas imposes a 20% tax on goods smuggled into Gaza through tunnels, one of three different taxes levied. As a result, Hamas collects approximately $15 million USD each month from the Palestinian population in Gaza, further impacting their plight.

Like Arafat, while these leaders may have some incentives to participate in ‘peace negotiations’ or a temporary ceasefire, there are few incentives for the Hamas leadership to agree to a long-term peace solution. Such an agreement could choke their personal funding and cramp their lifestyles. Rather they are incentivised to stoke religious, political, and ideological adversities between Israel and Palestine, i.e. to keep this 75-year-old game going.

Conclusion

Considering my three articles collectively, it’s evident that without a “two-state solution” persistent outcomes include:

• Radical Zionists continuing to claim “Palestinian lands”, exploiting an administrative climate that hampers Palestinian authority enforcement over their negotiated territories.
• Israelis residing alongside a population that from birth is manipulated to harbour hatred toward Jews. A population perceiving themselves as robbed and marginalised by the nearby Jewish community, fostering a cycle of poverty and despair.

The ongoing manipulation of the conflict by the war profiteers, those chiefly responsible for perpetuating the poverty and despair among the Palestinians and for the animosity toward Jews and an Israeli state for the past 75 years, underscores the urgency for a resolution.

References

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