Saudi Arabia may not take part in the media splash surrounding the expected declaration of Palestinian independence, but Riydah is using its wealth to quietly fund the move, pledging $200 million to the PA (Palestinian Authority) towards easing the financial crisis that exists today as PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) prepares to take his statehood case to the international community in the UN General Assembly.

Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Alassaf called PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, informing him of his country’s decision, WAFA news agency reported.

Interestingly, while the International Monetary Fund has indeed confirmed the difficult situation existing in the PA, adding that it has reached a point that in recent months, salaries for 150,000 PA employees were not paid due to a lack of funds – the international community by-and-large prefers to ignore the wide scale corruption that is rampant in the PA, as donor funds are siphoned off by leaders while the masses continue day-to-day life with unfulfilled promises.

Since the signing of the Oslo Agreement on September 13, 1993, the international community, the so-called ‘donor nations’ have repeatedly poured huge sums into PA coffers, yet little changes on a government level. Prior to the death of the former PA leader Yasser Arafat, it was documented that he and his wife Suha maintained bank accounts around the world, presumably filled with the donor funds intended to build a Palestinian state. Over the years, the PA has rarely been held accountable, but the donor nations seem to prefer to blindly fund the budding terrorist state, perhaps compelled by the desire to create new regional realities vis-à-vis Israel.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)