Posted on 04/16/2006 7:01:20 PM PDT by blam
Iran raises tension with £30m gift to Hamas
By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem
(Filed: 17/04/2006)
Iran defied America and Europe yesterday when it pledged to give almost £30 million to the new Hamas-led Palestinian government.
The one-off payment from Teheran, which was announced by Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, will go some way to plugging the gap in Palestinian finances caused by the recent loss of western aid.
Israel vowed to stop the money getting through - a viable proposition given how heavily Palestinian financial institutions rely on Israel.
Mr Mottaki appeared to relish announcing the donation, which will fuel the stand-off between the West and Iran over Teheran's nuclear ambitions.
"I am honoured to announce that Iran has donated $50 million to help the Palestinian nation," he said in a televised speech.
The pledge comes days after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, appeared to threaten Israel with a nuclear attack when he described it as a "rotten, dried tree" facing annihilation by "one storm".
Washington and Brussels cut about £35 million of monthly support to the Palestinian Administration because they viewed Hamas as a terrorist organisation following years of suicide bombings.
But Iran and other Muslim nations regard Hamas as a sound Islamic movement that is right to advocate armed resistance against Israel.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait responded to an appeal for aid for the Palestinians with about £50 million - only enough to help the Hamas government settle its bills for about two months.
Appeals to other large Arab nations such as Iraq or Egypt failed to generate any funds because to do so would have undermined their close links with America.
Most economic experts believe the Palestinian Administration to be broke, unable to meet its monthly commitments to pay the wages of civil servants and its security forces.
This has a security impact because policemen and security officers, many of whom are armed, have begun to demand payment and to express their anger against Hamas and their loyalty to Fatah, the movement's traditional rival.
There have already been rumblings of trouble in Gaza with policemen marching to demand back pay, and threatening to use their guns.
Israel, which declared Hamas to be an enemy of the Jewish state last week, would "be well within its rights to prevent money getting through to any organisation that could use it to support terrorism", said Mark Regev, a spokesman for the foreign ministry.
Meanwhile, one of the most senior MPs elected when Hamas swept to power in January was among seven members of the organisation arrested by Israeli police in annexed east Jerusalem yesterday.
Abu Teir, who is famed for his orange beard, was detained a day after police issued a prohibition order against a rally by Hamas in the city's Zur Bakher neighbourhood.
Of course, better their money than our money.
My first thought too. My second thought is that now is the perfect time to give Palestine back to the Palestinians. Israel should walk out of Gaza and the West bank entirely. Stop collecting taxes, stop doing anything and everything to Paslestinians. I would even hold my punches for a few months on returning fire against attacks and publisize these attacks heavily in the Press.
As a last resort, if the Palestinians want a war still, Israel has every right to act as a soverein power and roll the Merkavas through major government centers. Don't get me wrong here anouther Middle East war is the last thing I want here, But if Hamas is in control of a nation it has to expect national consequences.
Frankly I would rather have Iran give money to everyone we do now. 2 Billion to Egypt?
i like that, he just bought 40k bombers
We are increasing our humanitarian aid to Hamas. That means that we were giving a certain amount of aid to help the people. Now we will give more. The difference will find its way to the the Hamas Govt.
But we can still sound like we are being tough on Hamas by not giving it directly to the them.
By David Shelby Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – The United States announced April 7 that it would cut off all financial assistance to the Hamas-led Palestinian government in the absence of any indication that Hamas is prepared to renounce violence, respect Israel’s right to exist and pursue good faith negotiations toward implementation of the road map peace process.
At the same time, the United States said it would increase humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, channeling funds through the U. N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Yeah, more say one thing and do the opposite. I remember being disappointed when there was not more of an outcry when the US ended up pulling this boneheaded stunt.
As if the "humanitarian" aid has anything to do with "humanitarian" instead of just making Uncle Sam look like a patsy again.
Just keep buying oil from these guys, everyone. Make them even richer. Good job.
Iran is a state sponsor of international terrorist organizations ranging from Hezbollah to Al Qaeda.
The fact that they are financing Hamas comes as no surprise given that their goal is the same as all these other sociopaths: Complete eradication of Israel.
When do we get to eradicate Iran and Syria?
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