Corruption with the PA

Khaled Al Haroub Al-Hayat 2004/10/12
Could the occupation be defeated in light of the corruption within the current Palestinian Leadership? Of course not. It is often said that the occupation is the reason behind the corruption of the Palestinian army, the Palestinian leadership and the entire Palestinian situation; had it not been for the occupation, there would have been no corruption. The Palestinian situation before the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PA) was much better than the current situation.
Today, corruption is obliterating every aspect of hope in the Palestinian dream. Corruption within the Palestinian authority varies from the embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars, to the involvement in killing witnesses, sexual rape, drug dealing, and protecting traitors. Hundreds of people are accused of stealing the Palestinian money, and many Palestinians are accused of nepotism; the Egyptian cement file is enough to topple ten governments. How could Palestinian officials maintain their positions after their hands were besmirched in supplying cement for the construction of the Israeli racist wall? All this happened, and is still happening, with the complete knowledge of the Palestinian leadership. Nevertheless, the advent allegation is always the responsibility of the Israeli occupation for the corruption within the PA. This is a total manipulation of national and political standards in order to blame all those who want to reformulate a national agenda. We are seeing today the President of the PA himself defending the corrupt, those who control the political, economic and social destiny of the Palestinians; yet, these people claim to be representing the Palestinian people. The President of the PA refuses to pass any law that would hold these corrupt people accountable in front of the law. He says that opening the corruption file is a conspiracy that aims at shifting attention from the main cause, which is the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. Wrong timing for opening this or that file is the same vindication that made the Arabs pay the price for remaining silent in the face of their regimes, as timing was never appropriate for an uprising. On the contrary, now is the time to open the Palestinian files of corruption. These files destroyed and have been destroying every Palestinian achievement in the course of the Palestinian - Israeli conflict. We would be deceiving ourselves if we shift our attention towards Israel, and claim that we should not preoccupy ourselves with marginal issues. When corruption become carcinogenic, we can no longer achieve any operational progress, because the body is weary and cannot move; either cancer is removed, or the body dies. Corruption within the PA has reached a stage where we can no longer remain silent. What is the use of the legislative council if this council cannot reveal the corruption files to the Palestinian people? There are many accusations of corruption; the easy movement of traitors means that the Israeli security apparatuses got their accurate and precise information from inside the PA. Nonetheless, Israel is not the one to be blamed because it is the apparent enemy and such a conduct is expected from the enemy. However, it was not expected that the Palestinian legislative council and the PA would disregard this aberrant corruption. It is not possible for a national program to achieve any considerable success in light of this anomalous corruption that is consuming the Palestinian veracity. Any justification for this corruption is unacceptable. This corruption within the PA has blemished the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian dream. Priority now is to clean the Palestinian house. It is required to recuperate the framework of the Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian body, for we can not fight the enemy without a strong and healthy body. http://english.daralhayat.com/opinion/contributors/10-2004/Article-20041012-8d9a4e62-c0a8-01ed-0077-896f54d22a07/story.html#