Corruption

Submitted by Edward Halper (United States), Dec 21, 2007 at 00:29

It was western aid to the PA and the ensuing corruption that contributed most to the rise of Hamas. So why think that increased aid to the PA will diminish the influence of Hamas? Most of the money will go into the PA's pockets. But I suspect that the PA and Hamas are working together on a con operation.

Even if the aid miraculously ended up benefiting the Palestinian people, it is unlikely to improve the prospects for peace. It would rather be one more incentive to refuse to negotiate because it would encourage the Palestinians to continue to think that they had nothing to gain from living in peace. I think they interpret western aid as a recognition of the justice of the Palestinian cause.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".