The West Is Helping the PA Torment Palestinians
by Khaled Amayreh / August 15th, 2008

Western governments are telling their respective citizens that the financial
support they give to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is used to foster
security and promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the
occupied territories. These governments might also be deluding themselves
into thinking that the often harsh repression meted out by the PA to its own
people, long tormented by Israel, would be conducive to promoting peace
between Israel and the Palestinians. But the west is wrong on both
accounts.

Today, much of the western "financial aid" provided to the Ramallah-based
regime is being utilized to consolidate a police-state structure, actually a
police state without a state since the Israeli occupation army continues to
tightly control all parts of the occupied territories, including the
vicinity of Mahmoud Abbas's own headquarters. According to reliable sources,
more than one third of the PA budget, which is based on "donations" from
western and oil-rich Arab donors, goes to the security agencies which
operate with virtually no legal or moral restrictions. In comparison, less
than one percent of the budget goes to agriculture in both Gaza and the West
Bank. This is the sector upon which more than 50%% of Palestinians depend for
their livelihood.

We all know that the raison d'