EU Suspends Funding to PA in Wake of Terror Victim Suit

GAMLA ^ | 6/10/02

[pabianice]

EUROPEAN UNION SUSPENDS FUNDING TO PA IN WAKE OF TERROR VICTIM'S LAW SUIT

The European Parliment's budgetary committee has temporarily suspended its financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the wake of a law suit filed by an Israeli terror victim. The N.I.S. 100 million civil action, filed in Tel-Aviv recently, alleges that the PA has diverted the European Union's "humanitarian aid" to the Palestinian terrorist groups which are responsible for the wave of suicide bombings and shootings in Israel. While denying this contention, the European Union has now announced that it will not transfer any additional funds to the PA until it receives the results of an investigative report into how PA leader Yassir Arafat had utilized their money.

Steven Blumberg, the law suit's plaintiff, was grievously injured in a terror attack on August 5th 2001. Palestinian police officers from the town of Kalkilya opened fire on the Blumberg family's car with automatic weapons. His wife, Techiya, was killed in the attack and his teenage daughter Tehila was also seriously wounded. Blumberg remains paralyzed until today. The Blumberg suit alleges that funds given by the European Union paid the salaries of the PA police force which, since the beginning of the current Intifada in October 2000, has become a full-fledged terrorist group. It is additionally claimed that the European Union had been repeatedly warned by successive Israeli governments that Arafat was utilizing the donated aid to finance his terrorist organizations and paying for the attacks on Israeli civilians.

Until this week, the European Union had been donating $10 million to the Palestinians each month. A total of $1.5 billion has been contributed by member states since 1994. The money is meant to pay the salaries of the PA's municipal workers, including teachers, health officials and police officers. Documents captured by Israel in its recent incursion into Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah, however, evidence that the funds were being passed along to terrorist groups such as the Fatah Tanzim. European states donate the foreign aid to the PA in order to maintain political influence and goodwill in amongst Arab states.

According to the Blumberg's lawyer, Nitsana Darashan-Leitner, "The EU's decision to suspend funding to the PA is important because it will prevent some future terror attacks against Israeli civilians. However, the EU has recklessly given Arafat funding for his terrorist organizations for over eight years and the terrorist infrastructure still must be dismantled by force. For the Blumberg family the EU's sudden realization that it is the source of funding for the suicide bombings comes far too late. Irresponsibly, the EU still insists that it should provide funds to the PA police which everyone but the Europeans, now recognizes is nothing more than a front for the Tanzim terrorist organization."

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 972-8-973-3336

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

[the suit] alleges that the PA has diverted the European Union's "humanitarian aid" to the Palestinian terrorist groups which are responsible for the wave of suicide bombings and shootings in Israel.

gee, ya think?

[chiefqc]

How many had to be killed before the EU had enough bal*s to say enough is enough?

[SJackson]

How many had to be killed before the EU had enough bal*s to say enough is enough?

The issue doesn't seem to be the dead, they can stack up, but rather the EUs financial liability.

[Catspaw]

Too late. Once Blumberg's attorney starts exercising subpoena power--and it's going to be a huge court fight--and starts pawing through financial records, the EU will be added as a defendant.

As far as the money from the EU to Arafat goes, they'll figure out a way to get the millions into Yasser's pocket.

[DoughtyOne]

IMO the EU leadership is as morally bankrupt as Yasser Arafat. It's only a natural for them to supply funds to him. That's why they condemn Israel at every turn and remain silent when the suicide bombers do their vile acts.

[WIMom]

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[God-fearer]

We will never see this in the mainstream media.
But why not?

[GretchenEE]

Assuming the EU really thought it was paying $1.5 B since 1994 to fund PA municipal workers' salaries, why not also send aid to the the refugees in the camps to raise their quality of life? Shows how much the EU cares about the people v. the power there.

[Frances_Marion]

"The issue doesn't seem to be the dead, they can stack up, but rather the EUs financial liability."

Exactly...it's not about the morality of the situation, no matter how high those EU noses go into the air...the issue is that it's only a hop skip and jump away for the EU to be sued for financially supporting terror attacks on Israeli soil...

[Dark Wing]

ping

[monkeyshine]

how PA leader Yassir Arafat had utilized their money.

hahahahahehehehehohohoho... those waskely euros.