Aug. 13, 2002
Saddam bankrolls Jerusalem Arabs
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Ali Hijazi, a father of five living in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, returned home this weekend from a brief visit to Baghdad.
Shortly afterward, he showed up at the tax department of the Jerusalem Municipality and asked to pay his debt, estimated at more than NIS 10,000. From there, he headed to the Arab Electric Company in east Jerusalem and paid off another NIS 5,000 worth of unpaid bills.
Hijazi, 53, has been working for nearly 30 years as a teacher at a private Arab school in the city. He says that he stopped paying most of his bills after the school administration stopped paying him and his colleagues their salaries on time. The teachers first complained to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education, and when they did not receive an answer, they wrote a personal letter to PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. They waited for another two months, and still there was no word.
One day, Hijazi was at home watching the news. One of the items dealt with Israeli allegations that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was paying thousands of dollars to Palestinian victims of the intifada, as well as the families of suicide bombers.
"I got together with some of my colleagues, and we decided to write a letter to Saddam asking for help," Hijazi said. "A month later we were invited to Baghdad, where a senior government official handed each one of us a check for $7,000."
Since the beginning of the intifada, Saddam has been extremely generous to the Palestinians. Until recently, the money has been going only to those living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since Hijazi lives within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, he carries an Israeli ID card granting him the status of a permanent resident of the state. As such, he is entitled to almost all the social and economic benefits enjoyed by Israelis, except for voting for the Knesset.
According to Palestinian sources, at least 500 Arab families living in the city have received financial aid from Saddam. The sums range from $500 to $25,000 per family. The Iraqi leader's declared policy is to support the "steadfastness" of all Palestinians, even those who carry Israeli ID cards or passports.
Some of the families are asked to travel to Amman to receive the money. Others are told that they must arrive in Baghdad to pursue their request.
The sources said that in the past few months more and more families from Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem are writing to Saddam asking for financial assistance.
"Arafat doesn't have enough money, so people are turning to Saddam," said a woman activist from east Jerusalem who claims her organization has received "only" $3,500 as a personal gift.
"Saddam has received so many requests for help in paying municipal taxes that he now knows what an arnona bill looks like," explained a lawyer from eastern Jerusalem who has been closely following the trend. "[Jerusalem Mayor Ehud] Olmert should be happy that someone is helping the Arabs pay their taxes."
Among those benefiting from the financial aid are some PA and Orient House workers. At least 1,500 Palestinians from east Jerusalem are on the PA's payroll, but most of them complain that they haven't seen a shekel from Arafat for the last four or five months. It is believed that a large number of public and private institutions in the city have either received money from Saddam or are waiting for their requests to be approved.
One PA official expressed his concern at what he described as "the pilgrimage of Jerusalemites to Baghdad."
"We prefer that the money be paid through the proper institutions, because many who don't deserve the aid are getting a lot of money," he said, adding he expects Saddam to increase his financial support for Arab families and groups with the hope of getting a foothold in Jerusalem.
Last week, some parents in east Jerusalem were surprised when their children returned from summer school with portraits of Saddam and Iraqi flags. A quick inquiry revealed that Saddam had paid the camp organizers $5,000.
Jalal Abu Rmaileh, 45, a taxi driver from the Old City, told The Jerusalem Post that Saddam had covered the cost of dental surgery he underwent in Baghdad last month.
Jerusalem police last month revealed a document, which they said was seized in the office of Sari Nusseibeh, the PLO representative in Jerusalem and president of Al-Kuds University, showing that he too had asked Saddam for money.
Describing the Iraqi president as the "protective shield" of Arab dignity and the Islamic holy sites, Nusseibeh wrote in his letter, dated January 21, 2001: "I have the honor to appeal to your excellency to save and protect Al-Kuds University, because we know of your history of jihad and love for Palestine. The university needs to cover its current deficit of 4.5 million Jordanian dinars... and to cover the recurring annual deficit of 2 million Jordanian dinars."
Saddam bankrolls Jerusalem Arabs
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Ali Hijazi, a father of five living in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, returned home this weekend from a brief visit to Baghdad.
Shortly afterward, he showed up at the tax department of the Jerusalem Municipality and asked to pay his debt, estimated at more than NIS 10,000. From there, he headed to the Arab Electric Company in east Jerusalem and paid off another NIS 5,000 worth of unpaid bills.
Hijazi, 53, has been working for nearly 30 years as a teacher at a private Arab school in the city. He says that he stopped paying most of his bills after the school administration stopped paying him and his colleagues their salaries on time. The teachers first complained to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education, and when they did not receive an answer, they wrote a personal letter to PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. They waited for another two months, and still there was no word.
One day, Hijazi was at home watching the news. One of the items dealt with Israeli allegations that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was paying thousands of dollars to Palestinian victims of the intifada, as well as the families of suicide bombers.
"I got together with some of my colleagues, and we decided to write a letter to Saddam asking for help," Hijazi said. "A month later we were invited to Baghdad, where a senior government official handed each one of us a check for $7,000."
Since the beginning of the intifada, Saddam has been extremely generous to the Palestinians. Until recently, the money has been going only to those living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since Hijazi lives within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, he carries an Israeli ID card granting him the status of a permanent resident of the state. As such, he is entitled to almost all the social and economic benefits enjoyed by Israelis, except for voting for the Knesset.
According to Palestinian sources, at least 500 Arab families living in the city have received financial aid from Saddam. The sums range from $500 to $25,000 per family. The Iraqi leader's declared policy is to support the "steadfastness" of all Palestinians, even those who carry Israeli ID cards or passports.
Some of the families are asked to travel to Amman to receive the money. Others are told that they must arrive in Baghdad to pursue their request.
The sources said that in the past few months more and more families from Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem are writing to Saddam asking for financial assistance.
"Arafat doesn't have enough money, so people are turning to Saddam," said a woman activist from east Jerusalem who claims her organization has received "only" $3,500 as a personal gift.
"Saddam has received so many requests for help in paying municipal taxes that he now knows what an arnona bill looks like," explained a lawyer from eastern Jerusalem who has been closely following the trend. "[Jerusalem Mayor Ehud] Olmert should be happy that someone is helping the Arabs pay their taxes."
Among those benefiting from the financial aid are some PA and Orient House workers. At least 1,500 Palestinians from east Jerusalem are on the PA's payroll, but most of them complain that they haven't seen a shekel from Arafat for the last four or five months. It is believed that a large number of public and private institutions in the city have either received money from Saddam or are waiting for their requests to be approved.
One PA official expressed his concern at what he described as "the pilgrimage of Jerusalemites to Baghdad."
"We prefer that the money be paid through the proper institutions, because many who don't deserve the aid are getting a lot of money," he said, adding he expects Saddam to increase his financial support for Arab families and groups with the hope of getting a foothold in Jerusalem.
Last week, some parents in east Jerusalem were surprised when their children returned from summer school with portraits of Saddam and Iraqi flags. A quick inquiry revealed that Saddam had paid the camp organizers $5,000.
Jalal Abu Rmaileh, 45, a taxi driver from the Old City, told The Jerusalem Post that Saddam had covered the cost of dental surgery he underwent in Baghdad last month.
Jerusalem police last month revealed a document, which they said was seized in the office of Sari Nusseibeh, the PLO representative in Jerusalem and president of Al-Kuds University, showing that he too had asked Saddam for money.
Describing the Iraqi president as the "protective shield" of Arab dignity and the Islamic holy sites, Nusseibeh wrote in his letter, dated January 21, 2001: "I have the honor to appeal to your excellency to save and protect Al-Kuds University, because we know of your history of jihad and love for Palestine. The university needs to cover its current deficit of 4.5 million Jordanian dinars... and to cover the recurring annual deficit of 2 million Jordanian dinars."
Vastaukset 3
Vanhimmat
Mietitäänpä nyt kuinka paljon USA on maksanut samanlaista "kehitysapua" Israelille...
Noita USA:n ja Saddamin maksamia kehitysapuja ei voi rinnastaa toisiinsa ainakaan täysin. Israel on käsittääkseni rikkaampi maa, ja sen saamat "kehitysavut" jenkeiltä on tulleet lähinnä sotakalustona? Kun taas Saddamin apu näyttää varsinaiselta kehitysavulta.
jakamaan minullekin.