During the military confrontation, Fatah leaders in Ramallah issued a strong condemnation of Hamas. They said the Islamist movement was stealing relief aid dispatched to the Gaza Strip and distributing it among its followers in mosques.
But then who said that Fatah could be trusted when it comes to distributing financial aid? Relying on Fatah in this regard is like asking a cat to guard the milk.
The 20-year-old Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority [PA] is notorious for its financial and administrative corruption.
Earlier this month, Rafik Natsheh, head of the PA’s Anti-Corruption Commission, revealed that his department has managed to retrieve $70 million of public funds embezzled by Palestinian officials. He also said that his department uncovered 60 more cases of financial corruption in 2013.
But what is most notable is that some Fatah officials are now accusing their own supporters of stealing funds provided by the PA leadership to the Gaza Strip. A Fatah-affiliated news website revealed that Fatah leaders in the Gaza Strip have been distributing the funds among their family members and friends. The report said that Hamas officials also succeeded in laying their hands on the funds arriving from the office of the Palestinian Authority president in Ramallah.
A Fatah member in the Gaza Strip was quoted as saying, “A Palestinian Authority official bought chocolate for 300 Shekels ($90) while our men are being ignored and cannot afford to use public transportation or feed their children.”
He and dozens of Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip wrote a letter to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, asking him to form a commission of inquiry into the embezzlement of financial aid meant for Palestinian families.
The rising tensions between Hamas and Fatah following the war do not bode well for efforts to achieve Palestinian “national unity.” Some PLO leaders in Ramallah are now talking about a permanent split between the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a result of the Hamas-Fatah power struggle.
PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo said this week that the Gaza Strip was “closer than ever to being separated from the West Bank” due to the ongoing Fatah-Hamas rivalry.
However, what is at stake here is not only Palestinian “unity.” Fatah and Hamas will continue to fight and quarrel over everything from financial to political and ideological issues. “Unity” is one victim of this power struggle. The other victim is the effort to rebuild the Gaza Strip and help its residents.
When they are not fighting over political and ideological matters, Hamas and Fatah are scrambling for money. Under the current circumstances, Arab and Western donors who are willing to contribute to helping the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip need to make sure that their money does not end up (once again) in the wrong hands. Without a proper mechanism of accountability and transparency, hundreds of millions of dollars are likely to find their way into the bank accounts of both Hamas and Fatah leaders.