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Middle East
Iraqi aid to terrorists’ families continues
2003-03-10
Even the continuing U.S. pressure on Iraq is not stopping Saddam Hussein from sending financial aid to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers in the territories. It appears now that the massive Iraqi support has started to arouse the concern of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. After a long hiatus, Arafat has renewed sending checks to the families of dead and injured terrorists (though he has not transferred monies to the families of suicide bombers).
Thought Yasser was out of money? Must have transfered funds from non-essential programs, like food.
Israeli security sources told Haaretz that at the end of January, representatives of the Arab Liberation Front, the Palestinian organization supported by Iraq, distributed financial aid to the families of 52 people killed in the refugee camps in central Gaza. The Iraqis, the sources said, adhered to a tariff set by Saddam Hussein at the beginning of the current intifada, with a suicide attack proving more "profitable" to the family of the perpetrator than a "martyr" operation in which the terrorist is killed by Israel Defense Forces fire, but does not blow himself up with an explosive belt. The suicide bomber's family receives $25,000, while the family of a martyr receives "only" $10,000.
Wotta gyp. They both smell the same, and there's not as much left of the boomer to bury...
Because of the difficulty in sending suicide bombers into Israel, the number of families receiving the "bonus" for these missions is relatively small. As on previous occasions, the ceremony in January at which the funds were distributed was attended by official representatives of the Palestinian Authority. They expressed no reservations about the praise heaped on suicide bombers by the emissaries from Iraq.
Big surprise, not!
Defense sources report that Arafat recently did express qualms about the Iraqi support, as well as the aid coming from other countries, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Islamic charity organizations. "Arafat is not overly-enthusiastic about the brazen outside involvement in Palestinian affairs", a defense source claimed. "It weakens his status. Now he has to try to regain some of the public support through renewing the process of transferring money."
Have to buy those votes, if they had voting, that is.
Last month, Arafat started to redistribute aid to the families of injured Palestinians. Following the IDF operation in Zeitoun in Gaza about a month ago, the PA leader transferred payments to the tune of $300,000 to families whose homes and property had been destroyed, as well as to families that had suffered injuries or fatalities. The money was distributed at official ceremonies organized by the PA and sent to families by governors on behalf of the authority in Khan Yunis, Gaza and the refugee camps in the center of the Strip. The money was also paid to families of killed Hamas activists.
Think of it as a pension, only the pensioner's a really light eater...
There has been a decline recently in the influence and scope of the contributions to the Holy Land Fund from the prominent Islamic charity organizations that transfer donations to the territories. It appears that the decline is connected to steps taken by the U.S. administration, which recently outlawed the fund.
Tap..tap..tap..Nope.
Posted by:Steve

#1  Keep the heat on drying up the money. The poorer the terrorists get, the less terror and casulties there are. Getting Iraq off the donor list is going to dry up at least 1/3 of the money (my guess). Keep Yasser supplied with all the babywipes he wants, just to show our humanity.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2003-03-10 15:30:47  

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