The United States Agency for International Development, known as USAID, is an American government organization that is considered the premier international development agency in helping countries and entities whose development is considered in the national interests of the United States.
About a decade ago, it was decided that the two million people living in Gaza fell within the definition of the mandate of USAID. Gaza was suffering from a shortage of basic necessities such as electricity and safe drinking water, and had an inadequate sewage treatment facility. To remedy the situation, the US government allocated a budget to build a power station, a desalination plant, and a modern sewage processing plant.
USAID was chosen to lead the development project. A meeting was arranged in Gaza between USAID and the leaders of Hamas. At the meeting, the proposed project was presented. It was explained that the cost of the project, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, would be a grant and would not need to be repaid. International tenders for each of the three projects would be issued, and USAID would decide on the winning tenders and continue to supervise the projects to completion. International project managers and auditors would be appointed. Once a company had won a tender, payments would be made according to benchmarks being reached in the construction phase.
Thousands of people in Gaza would gain employment in the project. In the end, Gaza would have continuous electricity, safe drinking water, and a modern sewage purification plant. Gaza would be a much better place to live in. This was a free offer that no one in their right mind would refuse. So what happened?
Instead of thanking USAID, Hamas demanded that the money should be given to them, and that they would then build the projects. USAID informed Hamas that was not the way that it operated. Hamas refused to back down on their demands. They warned the delegation not to return to Gaza without giving them the money. The result was that none of the projects were ever built.
Corruption in Palestinian leadership
The reason that these same three problems of electricity, water, and sewage persist today can be traced directly back to the leadership of Hamas. Instead of advancing the living standards in Gaza, Hamas actively prevented the building of three projects that would improve the lives of the people living in Gaza. What is also apparent is that the leadership of Hamas were more interested in stealing money than in helping the people of Gaza. Unfortunately, this was not the first time that the Palestinian leadership has prevented development in Gaza.
In September 1993, Israel and the Palestinians agreed to a “Declaration of Principles” that became known as the Oslo Accords. Both sides agreed to establish a new organization to be known as the Palestinian Authority (PA). Israel officially recognized the Palestinians and, in return, the Palestinians recognized Israel. The world was ecstatic. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians suddenly took on a new possibility. The Nobel Committee awarded the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly to Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Yasser Arafat. They were seen as the peacemakers of a new reality in the Middle East. As part of the agreement, the PA took over governing responsibilities of the Gaza Strip and Jericho. Arafat arrived in Gaza, and this was seen as the beginning of new economic opportunities for investors.
During the summer, temperatures in Gaza are approximately 10 degrees below the extreme heat in the Gulf states. At the time, Gaza had an airport and it was envisaged that Gaza could become a tourist destination. Representatives of three American international hotel chains went to Gaza and were amazed by the tranquil beauty of the beaches of Gush Katif. They envisaged building a holiday resort, starting with three mega hotels that would result in a thriving tourist industry in Gaza.
Arafat was thrilled with the idea. He immediately demanded that he be given a share in the hotels. The potential investors explained that the hotels would employ thousands of local workers and would pay taxes on their profits to the Palestinian Authority but would not give Arafat any share in the hotels. Arafat then demanded that he be given the sole right to appoint all the staff at the hotels. The potential investors understood how totally corrupt Arafat was, and left. None of the hotels were ever built. Arafat was never a peacemaker, and the chance for a better future for Gaza ended with Arafat
One of the interesting phenomena in the Arab societies is the huge discrepancy between the wealth of the ruling clan and the poverty of the people that they rule over. According to figures published by the World Bank, the per capita earnings of both the West Bank and Gaza are below $4,000 per annum. Despite the very low earnings of the average Palestinian, their leaders have managed to become incredibly wealthy. The Palestinians rely on donations to survive. What happens to the money?
Let’s start by looking at what Yasser Arafat did. For years, Arafat claimed that the Palestinian economy was about to collapse and that unless he received immediate funding, he would be unable to pay the salaries that needed to be paid. The Americans and the European Union never disputed the claims of Arafat. They always came up with the money. Hundreds of millions were transferred directly to accounts controlled by Arafat. Under the Oslo Accords, Israel transferred billions of dollars of Palestinian taxes collected in Israel to accounts controlled by Arafat. It does not take a financial genius to understand that part of the money was siphoned off by Arafat. Estimates of Arafat’s wealth vary from hundreds of millions to a billion dollars.
If you read the book Harpoon by Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, you will learn how Shurat HaDin, an Israeli NGO, opened a fictitious bank in South America staffed with Arabic speakers. The bank offered high interest on large deposits. Arafat heard about the bank and deposited $100 million in the bank. The bank closed, and Arafat lost $100 million. He never made it public, as he thought his donors would be concerned about how he had obtained $100 million of their money to invest. He did not need to worry. Donors to the Palestinians always turn a blind eye to Palestinian corruption.
Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was one of the co-founders of Fatah. For years, Abbas lived with his three sons in Damascus and acted as a fundraiser for Fatah. He was extremely well connected to the wealthy Arab community in the world. He was also one of the architects of the Oslo Accords. In November 2004, Arafat died. In January 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected as president of the Palestinian National Authority, the highest political body of the Palestinians. No further elections for the office have ever taken place. Abbas is now serving the 19th year of his four-year term of office. He is perceived as totally corrupt by the Palestinians, and his popularity is at an all-time low of about 10%. Currently, Abbas is estimated to be worth a minimum of $100 million.
The Gaza Strip covers 365 square kilometers and has two million inhabitants. It is more than six times the size of Manhattan, which has 1.6 million inhabitants. The claim that Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world has been repeated over and over to such an extent that it is accepted as a fact. It is patently not true. There are wide open areas in Gaza, and Gaza is nowhere near the most populated area in the world.
In 2007, Hamas seized power in Gaza by killing the Fatah rulers appointed by the Palestinian Authority. Since then, the leaders of Hamas have taken corruption to an entirely new level. Hamas control everything in Gaza through the use of force. They torture and kill with impunity. They collect import duties on all goods entering Gaza and own monopolies that are in control of every facet of life in Gaza. Everyone in Gaza pays in one way or another to the rulers of Hamas. Hamas want leadership without responsibility. They have openly stated that the people of Gaza are refugees and are the responsibility of the international community and that Hamas is only responsible for the members of Hamas. They have no plans to improve the living standards of the ordinary citizens in Gaza. The world pours money into Gaza on the grounds of humanitarian aid. The aid funds terrorism and the pockets of the leaders of Hamas. Both the PA and Hamas have received billions in donations by always claiming to be victims. What a farce.
Both the Palestinian Charter and the Hamas Covenant claim that every inch of Israel is Palestinian land. The Hamas Covenant is based on an extremist fundamentalist view of Islamic domination of the world and the belief in Allah. Chapter 8 of the Hamas Covenant states: “Jihad is the path, and death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of wishes.” Hamas has never deviated from this goal and has never advocated to live side by side with Israel in peace.
Three of the leaders of Hamas do not even live in Gaza. Ismail Haniyeh is the top leader of Hamas, Khaled Mashal is the second in command, and Abu Marzook acts as the foreign minister of Hamas. All three have chosen to take their families out of the squalor that they have created in Gaza and to live in luxury in Qatar. The Israeli embassy in Washington published a breakdown of the net worth of the three. According to the detailed report, Haniyeh and Mashal are each worth $4 billion, and Marzook is worth $3 billion.
Haniyeh recently exhorted Muslims living in Israel to rise up during Ramadan and to cause maximum chaos in Israel. Israeli Arabs constitute 20% of the Israeli population. The idea of Hezbollah attacking Israel from the North, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement attacking Israel from the South, and the Muslims in Israel also attacking simultaneously is exactly what Iran has been planning for years in its fanatical view of trying to destroy Israel.
The call by the leader of Hamas to riot during Ramadan was answered by large attendances at prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem without a single major riot or serious problem. It was one of the most peaceful Ramadan periods for years. It is clear that the Israeli Muslim population rejected the call by Hamas to revolt.
Israeli Arabs understand that living in Israel offers them a much better life than anything that Hamas offers. Israel guarantees freedom of religion and affords them all the advantages of living in a democracy with the rule of law and human rights, women’s rights, social security, access to the Israeli Supreme Court, the Israeli health system, and education opportunities at schools and universities that are far superior to anything offered by Hamas.
They understand that Hamas has brought poverty, destruction, and death to Gaza. The bottom line is that Israeli Arabs do not want to live under Hamas rule. It is time for the world to understand what a total disaster Hamas have been for the Palestinians. Despite this, recent polls indicate that 70% of the Palestinians living in the West Bank support Hamas. This is a very worrying development, as Hamas are not interested in peace.
Just imagine what an incredible place Gaza would be if two million Jews, instead of two million Palestinians, lived in Gaza. There would be democratic elections, human rights, and the rule of law. Freedom of religion would be guaranteed. Desalination would provide safe drinking water. Electricity would function 24/7. The desert would bloom. Farmers using drip irrigation would produce more food at affordable prices. Hi-tech industries and tourism would develop. Property prices would rise, and unemployment would plummet. Poverty would be replaced with prosperity. Synagogues, schools, universities, hospitals. cultural and sporting facilities would be built. The economy would be sustainable. What a contrast to what Hamas have turned Gaza into.
Unfortunately, the rule of Hamas has been an unmitigated disaster for the Palestinians living in Gaza. The leaders of Hamas have stolen billions without ever trying to develop a functioning and prosperous society. They have radicalized the Sunni population to become martyrs and to carry out the genocidal aims of the Shi’ite mullahs of Iran. The atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 have been fully documented and do not need to be restated in this article. What is important to realize is that Hamas have spent years building a network of underground tunnels in order to attack Israel and protect themselves from Israeli retaliation. They do not care at all about the civilians in Gaza. They have fired over 25,000 rockets at Israel since 2007. The rockets are aimed indiscriminately at towns and cities across Israel, with the intention of causing maximum property damage and to kill as many Israelis as possible. No country in the world would tolerate such a situation without retaliating. Israel is no exception.
The Palestinian people deserve a better life. It is time to end the radicalization, corruption, hatred, and dead end, in the literal sense, that Hamas have brought about. The civilized world should join Israel in demanding that the hostages held in Gaza be freed immediately. Hamas never was, and never will be, a partner for peace in the region. It is time to free Gaza from Hamas. ■
The writer, who was born in South Africa, is an accountant who lives in Ra’anana with his Israeli-born wife.