Posted on 05/04/2004 2:18:48 PM PDT by yonif
The Palestinian Authority has released funds it froze in August last year belonging to Hamas-affiliated charity organizations. Nine months after the money was sequestered by the PA, it was transferred over the weekend to the organizations' bank accounts in the Gaza Strip. Official records show the organizations provide aid for tens of thousands of needy Palestinians in the Strip.
Palestinian sources on Monday said the transfer was a one-time gesture to help the families cope with the harsh economic conditions in the Palestinian areas. They said it did not indicate a general release of the millions of dollars belonging to Hamas charities currently frozen by the PA.
In August 2003, the Palestinian Monetary Authority, acting on the direct instructions of Yasser Arafat, ordered several Gaza-based banks to freeze 38 accounts belonging to 12 charities affiliated to the Hamas civilian wing, Dawa, which acts as the group's social infrastructure and is its main channel for recruiting supporters.
Among the accounts frozen were those belonging to Al-Mujamma Al Islami, the largest charity operating in the Strip. It was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, operates dozens of schools and pays stipends to the families of people killed in clashes with the IDF and to the families of suicide bombers.
The sequestration was one of a series of measures taken against Hamas by the PA last year. The move sparked mass protests by needy people in Gaza City, Khan Yunis and Rafah.
For months, Hamas made repeated calls on the PA to free the money, and the group's lawyers even took the case to Palestinian courts. Last month, a court in Gaza ruled that the sequestration was illegal and called on the PA to reverse its decision. So far, however, the official order handed down by Arafat has not been revoked.
Last week, there were further mass protests, in Gaza City and Khan Yunis, calling on the PA to release the funds. At one of the rallies, demonstrators even burned a picture of Arafat, and Hamas spokesmen at the rallies hinted that they would be stepping up their activities against the PA until the accounts were released.
Palestinian sources said Monday the decision to partially release the funds was taken by Arafat because of the Israeli closure on the territories, which has been in force since the assassination of Yassin.
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