Haniyehs Financial Aid Tour Ends in Bloodshed
By Foreign News Desk
Saturday, December 16, 2006
zaman.com
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyehs entourage was attacked while
entering Gaza on the return from Egypt, where he visited to acquire financial
aid. In the attack, Haniyes son was wounded along with 26 others, and one
bodyguard was shot dead while trying to shield the prime minister. While
Haniye blamed Israel for the ambush, other Hamas officials accused the members
of Al-Fatah, which supports Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel
announced its regret that Haniyeh was not killed in the incident. In an
effort to obtain financial aid for struggling Palestine, Haniyeh went on to a
tour of Muslim countries, a tour that ended up in bloodshed late Thursday.
While attempting to cross into the Gaza Strip with an estimated $35 million in
cash (some sources estimate the amount to be $280 million), Haniyeh was barred
by Israeli forces from entering the city. Claiming that Haniyeh was carrying
a large sum of money that would be used to fund terrorist
activities, Israel closed the Rafah gate and insisted that Haniyeh leave the
money in Egypt before proceeding. Haniyeh eventually left the sum in Egypt,
saying that it would be transferred to the account of the Arab Union. While
negotiations for him to enter the Gaza Strip continued, shots were fired at his
convoy from around the Rafah checkpoint. While his son Abid was wounded in
the face, his 19-year-old bodyguard was killed while trying to shield the prime
minister. The incident intensified concerns over the possibility that a civil
war could break out in the country. Following the developments in Gaza, angry
Hamas supporters took to the streets and launched a demonstration in Ramallah
in the West Bank. President Abbas security forces opened fire at the crowd,
wounding 32 Hamas proponents, some of whom sustained life-threatening injuries.
Passage into Gaza is controlled by Palestine National Guards under the
supervision of EU inspectors. The only
connection for Palestinians living in Gaza with the outside world is through
this gate. Although Israeli soldiers pulled out from the region last year,
they still have the authority to close the gate in the event of threatening
situations. Hamas officials are reported to have crossed the gate many times
in the recent months with huge sums of money. Hamas is said to be trying to
counter the tremendously adverse effects of the economic sanctions of the West
by resorting to such solutions. Because of the sanctions, the Hamas
government has been unable to pay the salaries of tens of thousands of its
employees for months.
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