World Bank announces $15 million emergency grant for PA

Haaretz ^ | 03/12/2003 | Reuters

[yonif]

WASHINGTON - The World Bank is giving the Palestinian Authority's finance ministry an emergency $15 million grant to improve battered education, health and social services in the West Bank and Gaza.

"The grant will finance goods and operating expenditures such as water, electricity, rent, which are essential to deliver education, health and social welfare programs, as well as items to keep key economic management ministries functioning," the bank said in a statement on Tuesday.

The grant follows a $25 million transfer made at the end of last year for the same emergency services project in the West Bank and Gaza.

"After three years of 'intifada' all Palestinian economic indicators show steep decline," the bank said.

Gross domestic product has shrunk by more than 30 percent since before the Palestinian uprising and although there have been signs the economy is stabilizing, it is a very low level, the bank said.

The Palestinian Authority's fiscal position is "precarious," the bank said, with a budget gap of about $25 million a month, partly because budget support from donors was lower than expected.

"Donor support for the budget has dwindled rapidly in recent months, partly because support from Arab League states has fallen short of pledges, and partly because support from the European Commission - while committed - has been disbursed at a slower pace than anticipated," the bank said.

[yonif]

More aid to terrorists and the infrastructure that produces terrorists, and haters of Jews and Christians.

[xrp]

donations are down also partly because of the fact that Yassir AraFAT takes it all.

[PeteFromMontana]

Palestinian Authority's finance ministry....


_________________________

Arafat? Yasser

[HardStarboard]

They must be running out of explosive belts in childrens sizes.

[HitmanLV]

World Bank announces $15 million emergency grant for PA

I told the Governor not to make that big bet on the Pirates this year...

[Thane_Banquo]

The World Bank is giving the Palestinian Authority's finance ministry an emergency $15 million grant to improve battered education, health and social services in the West Bank and Gaza to kill as many innocent Jews as possible.

[cardinal4]

A grant, not a loan, eh? Everyone digs deep for Yassir, er, the PA..

[sgtbono2002]

Another fat deposit in Arafats account.

[Weimdog]

Don't the officials at the World Bank watch 60 Minutes?

"What is Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian Authority worth today?" asks accountant Jim Prince. "Who is controlling that money? Where is that money? How do we get it back?"

So far, Prince's team has determined that part of the Palestinian leader's wealth was in a secret portfolio worth close to $1 billion -- with investments in companies like a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Ramallah, a Tunisian cell phone company and venture capital funds in the U.S. and the Cayman Islands.

Although the money for the portfolio came from public funds like Palestinian taxes, virtually none of it was used for the Palestinian people; it was all controlled by Arafat. And, Prince says, none of these dealings were made public.

"Arafat accumulated another $1 billion with the help of -- of all people -- the Israelis. Under the Oslo Accords, it was agreed that Israel would collect sales taxes on goods purchased by Palestinians and transfer those funds to the Palestinian treasury. But instead, Indyk says, "that money is transferred to Yasser Arafat to, amongst other places, bank accounts which he maintains off-line in Israel."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1018872/posts

[John Beresford Tipton]

A country that has made a begging bowl a national symbol should be hesitant to criticize others.

[GeronL]

Thats nothing compared to what the US gives

[Go Gordon]

The grant [$15M] follows a $25 million transfer made at the end of last year for the same emergency services project in the West Bank and Gaza.

Does anybody else find this policy diametrically different than the way we handled all other countries such as Cuba, Iraq, etc., whereby these thugs were cut off from international aide?

[yonif]

Well, of course. But the World Bank is feeling lonely, so it wants to chip in to fund the Palestinian Autority terror regime - if the US is doing it, why can't the world bank?

[NeoCaveman]

I was really hoping tht PA meant Pennsylvania

[TrueBeliever9]

Why doesn't The Third World Bank insist that Arafat makes these improvements with some of the $500 million that he in US Tax Dollars that he already stole? I hope you know that that $15 million is coming from the US Treasury - wired by order of the US Congress (on Capital Hill).

I think maybe Mrs. Arafat could contribute out of her monthly stipend of $100,000 to less fortunate people living under her husband's regime.

[American in Israel]

Yasar Arafats Office consumes 10 million a month. All of the Palestinian people together in the Palestinian Authority social services structure only are budgeted 6 million a month.

So this emergency money will buy explosives for 1.5 months, or food for a quarter of a year.

It seems strange that they pay Arafat for his people starving in the war that he is waging. Why not just stop the war? The Jews are starving too, but nobody gives a rip, and they offer peace.

It shows that the motivation to pay money is not care for the hungry, but fear of the bully.

[TrueBeliever9]

I forgot to add that The Third World Bank gets a commission for handing those US Taxpayer Dollars over to the PA. How else could they own the choicest real estate in DC, have an international subsidized cafeteria for staff, and pay their staff so well (known for their Armani suits).

[American in Israel]

A country that has made a begging bowl a national symbol should be hesitant to criticize others.

A country that made arming terrorist nations its standard, should count the cost in blood of its actions. After all, it was America that put Arafat in power.

[Bobby777]

well, they've got to have money for emergency terrorism stuff for the holidays ... and then candy of course, to celebrate the marriages to the dark-eyed houri virgins ...

this is a direct result of Kofi Annan's "leadership" ... i.e., friendship with Yasser Arafat ... two of a kind ...