Checks stop coming for Palestinians on Saddam's payroll

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM ^ | Tuesday, April 15, 2003 | Staff

[listenhillary]

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM Tuesday, April 15, 2003

GAZA CITY — Palestinian agents for deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein have run out of money.

Palestinian sources said thousands of Palestinians working for the Saddam regime have not been paid salaries for March, Middle East Newsline reported. The sources said they include Palestinians who helped organize pro-Saddam demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

"A lot of people are not going to have money to pay their bills this month," a Palestinian source said.

Until the halt in funding, Iraq was pumping more than $1.5 million a month to agents and supporters in the Palestinian Authority areas, the sources said. The money had been relayed to the Arab Liberation Front and to families of Palestinians killed or injured in the insurgency war against Israel.

The Baghdad-based ALF was responsible for the distribution of the Iraqi funds as well as activities in support of the Saddam regime. The ALF has offices in every Arab-populated city in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The sources said Iraq had relayed more than $35.5 million to the Palestinians since 2001. Over the last six months, they said, Baghdad was believed to have allocated more than $2 million a month to the Palestinians. Over the weekend, the ALF acknowledged a halt in Iraqi funding. Ibrahim Zaanin, the group's spokesman, said the fall of the Saddam regime would affect numerous poor families as well as those who lost their loved ones in the war against Israel.

The spokesman said the last payment relayed by Iraq was on March 21, the day after the war started. He said the Iraqi allocation of $30,000 went to three Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip who lost their sons in the war against Israel.

Zaanin said his group would continue to support Palestinians. He said the money would come sources other than Iraq. He would not elaborate. The decline in funds from Iraq comes as Palestinian insurgents have launched a series of attacks on Israeli civilian and military targets. Israeli sources said authorities have also foiled several Palestinian suicide bombings.

On Tuesday, two Israelis were killed and several others injured when a Hamas gunman burst into the Karni terminal at the edge of the Gaza Strip and began firing his semi-automatic weapon. In the West Bank, an Israeli officer was killed in a military operation in the northern city of Nablus.

[listenhillary]

Hey Arafat, don't you have some spare change?

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[patj]

Hey, do you suppose this is what happened to the "peace" demonstrations here? They didn't get paid. Man, it is caving in on them from all sides.

[goldstategop]

Yep. A major cash spigot for Palestinian fascism has been turned off. This is good news.

[listenhillary]

One would hope the Anti-Americans are now stuck in Palistinian squatting areas with no money and no ticket home.

[RJayneJ]

If we now know what the power structure is in keeping this killing organization working we may be able to find out who tries to replace the money supply--like Syria or Saudi Arabia.

[Hugin]

Boy, attacking Iraq sure is interefering with the war on terror. I guess the liberals were right.

[Zipporah]

.. could be.. seems the peace demonstrations here were funded by someone.. they sure weren't 'self' funded.. and re this "A lot of people are not going to have money to pay their bills this month," a Palestinian source said" Saddams people were starving .. while he stockpiled food and medical supplies.. interesting how he had the funds to pay the Palestinians while he let his own starve.. while crying about the sanctions.

[Alas Babylon!]

He said the Iraqi allocation of $30,000 went to three Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip who lost their sons in the war against Israel when they blew themselves up in a crowd of school kids, women and old people.

[Ronin]

You have to be willfully blind not to see how the war on Iraq is goint to have a major effect on stemming the oil dollars that feed terrorism.

Bush understands it. And, having declared war on terrorism, he set about pragmatically and realistically, to win it.

Realistically speaking, fighting terrorism is like eradicating mosquitos. If there is a swamp where mosquitos breed, the worst way to kill them off is to swat them one at a time. The only long term solution to the problem is to drain the swamp.

The Mideast Arab nations are the primary source of terror and the oile money sloshing around those countries is the swamp. To choke off the terrorists, you have to choke off the oil money that nourishes them.

Seems that part one of the swamp clearance is right on schedule. If I was an Arab potentate, I would learn the lesson of Iraq and start getting serious about my own swamp drainage before the Uncle Sam exterination crew made a house call.

[dennisw]

Saudi Arabia will have to pick up the slack.

[listenhillary]

Saudi's were the ones having Jerry Lewis like telethons to raise money for sucide bombers families?

[chainsaw]

Saudi Arabia will have to pick up the slack.

US oil money, for sure.

If I had some US oil company stock I think I'd start getting rid of it before it's too late.

[monocle]

Not to rain on your post, but that sounds like a liberal's refrain that it is all about oil.

[Slings and Arrows]

The ALF has offices in every Arab-populated city in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Why? Has the IAF run out of Hellfire missiles? If so, how do I buy them some more?

[Ronin]

I guess in a sense it is. But not about oil the way they say it. It is about choking off the oil dollars that are being fed to the terrorists.

The Saudis have been the biggest double-dealers in that crowd. Without Saudi funds, there would be no Al Queda.

[Arpege92]

Uh oh....welfare Saddam has shut down and we all thought Palestinians were loyal to Saddam because he was just so wonderful.

[madrastex]

Wonder if we will see these folks panhandling?

[Sgt_Schultze]

The US should pick up the slack. We should send $10,000 and the explosive vest to each terrorist who blows himself up. Just make sure we rig the vest to explode 4 seconds after the martyr places it on his shoulders.

[MissAmericanPie]

More evidence of the neccessity of draining the swamp. We sure should not stop now.