Hamas official says Gaza has achieved self-sufficient economy, would send emergency aid to PA "if West Bank policies changed."
By JPOST.COM STAFFPA President Abbas and PM Fayyad 370 (R)(photo credit: Fadi Arouri / Reuters)
Hamas is willing and ready to rescue the West Bank economy, Hamas’s deputy prime minister Ziad al-Thatha told Palestinian news agency Ma'an on Friday.Thatha praised the Gaza economy, saying it persevered despite Israeli measures. “We have managed to achieve a resisting economy and reached self sufficiency in agricultural products," he stated.Asked by Ma'an whether or not Hamas would send aid to the Palestinian Authority in case of emergency, Thatha said “In case of emergency, we will not hesitate, but we need to change the West Bank policies.”Last week, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad expressed concern that the PA is falling apart because the Israeli government delayed transferring tax money and funds from donor countries.The PA prime minister said the situation, in which he waits each month for the Israeli government to decide whether to transfer funds or not, makes running a government impossible.“We are in danger of collapse if you in Israel do not get it together and understand that you cannot leave us hanging month after month,” Fayyad said in a meeting with Labor MK Isaac Herzog in Ramallah.Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.
