(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Hamas was hoping that the reconciliation deal it signed with Fatah would absolve it of its financial obligations toward its employees. But Fatah and PA President Mahmoud Abbas insist that this is not their responsibility. More than 58% of the PA budget already goes to Gaza to pay the salaries of PA civil servants who lost their jobs after Hamas seized control there in 2007. Abbas has realized that Western donors are not going to fund a government that pays salaries to thousands of Hamas employees, including members of the movement's armed wing, Ezaddin al-Kassam. According to Palestinian sources, the emir of Qatar has promised to pay the salaries of the Hamas employees for May. But it is not clear whether the emir will continue to do so in the coming months.
2014-06-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive