Saudi Arabia, which predicted the Hamas legislative
victory, was expected to increase funding to the Palestinian Authority.
Western diplomatic sources said the PA has appealed to Saudi Arabia to
increase aid in an effort to cover any budget shortfall in wake of the Hamas
victory in the Palestinian Legislative Council. The sources said the PA was
expecting significant delays in aid pledged by the United States and the
European Union.
"The Saudis are preparing to significantly increase its aid and this
would be welcomed by the international community," a Western diplomat said.
"I expect Riyad to announce new aid to the PA over the next few weeks."
On Wednesday, diplomatic sources said Saudi Arabia and Qatar pledged to
provide a total of $30 million to the PA. The sources said the money would
be allocated to pay salaries of 137,000 PA employees for January.
[On Thursday, the Reuters news agency quoted a senior Palestinian
diplomat as saying that Saudi Arabia planned talks in February with the PA
on aid. The diplomat said the Saudis could provide $1.2 billion to the
Palestinians.]
Both the EU and the United States have raised the prospect of an aid
cutoff to a Hamas-dominated PA. Brussels and Washington have demanded that
Hamas recognize Israel and end attacks.
A Saudi government report drafted in December 2005 predicted that Hamas
would win the PLC elections. The report, which was recently declassified,
cited the drop in support for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah
movement.
The report was drafted by the Saudi National Security Assessment
Project, a consultant to the kingdom on issues of national and regional
security. The study said the Saudi consultant conducted polls of
Palestinians that told a "deep trust of senior PA officials, most of whom
are Fatah members."
"The Palestinians face severe social welfare needs that have not been
addressed by the current government," the study, first presented on
Dec. 27, said. "This situation has created an opportunity that Hamas has
been able to
exploit."
The study cited the Hamas network of schools, mosques, orphanages and
clinics. The PA has failed to provide such services, the report said.
"Hamas's efforts in this area, combined with its reputation for
financial probity, are in contrast to perceived Fatah corruption and
incompetence," the report said.
The study recommended that Saudi Arabia increase its participation in
the PA. Riyad was deemed the largest donor to the PA and the study predicted
that the kingdom would increase its aid amid the likelihood of a reduction
in Western support.
Authored by Nawaf Obaid, the report advised Saudi leaders to raise their
political profile in the Arab-Israeli conflict. One option was for King
Abdullah to revive his peace plan that called for the establishment of a
Palestinian state and return of Palestinian refugees to what is now Israel.
"American policies in the region, especially its unfettered support for
Israel and its designation of Hamas as a terror organization complicate the
situation, and demonstrate that the Bush administration is clearly out of
touch," the report said. "Thus, they are unable to understand the situation
from the Palestinian perspective."
