(Christian Science Monitor) Ten years ago this week, Yasser Arafat gained major civilian powers for the first time as part of the Oslo Peace Accords. Today with fewer and fewer people working in the private sector, one-third of the Palestinian public is dependent on a salary from a Palestinian Authority that is able to function only through the help of donor funds. Yet Arafat's increasingly troubled image on the international stage is making support to the Palestinians a more difficult sell to donors. "There has been a sharp decline in donations," said Dr. Mohammed Shtayyeh, director of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction in Ramallah. "Iraq has been hijacking the attention of other donors."
2004-09-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive