By Michael Freund
The number of Ebola cases is reportedly doubling every three to four weeks, but billions of dollars will be lavished on Gaza rather than on the jeopardized populations of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
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| Liberia - Risking their lives, nurses escort Ebola victim to hospital |
This past Sunday, some 50 nations from around the world gathered for a major donor conference aimed at raising billions of dollars to tackle what organizers described as an urgent humanitarian predicament.
A host of prominent figures, including UN Secretary- General Ban Ki Moon, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende all set aside time in their busy schedules to attend the gathering, underlining its importance to much of the international community.
And just what, you might be wondering, was the pressing issue that prompted such extensive and concerted action? Well, it wasn’t the mounting Ebola crisis, which has already killed thousands in western Africa and threatens to take the lives of many more. Nor was it the growing disaster confronting Syrian refugees, over 2.3 million of whom have fled to other countries to escape fighting at home.
Believe it or not, the vital topic on the agenda was to raise money to rebuild parts of Hamas-controlled Gaza.
That’s right, despite the Islamist terrorist group’s cynical use of the area as a launching pad for thousands of rocket attacks against Israel, Western powers and others have rushed to open their checkbooks to help with reconstruction.
This is morally obtuse, politically obscene and strategically oblivious behavior, and Israel should loudly and forcefully protest against it.
Consider the following. At the Gaza donor conference, which was held in Cairo, a whopping $5.4 billion was pledged, half of which will go towards rebuilding efforts while the rest will be used to sustain the budget of the Palestinian Authority, which now includes Hamas, through 2017.
In other words, even though the Palestinians siphoned off previous aid and used it to prepare for war with Israel, they are once again becoming recipients of Western largesse.
Needless to say, the funds pledged are not contingent on Hamas disarmament, nor will any demands be made of the terrorist group to cease building tunnels to try and burrow into Israel and murder innocent civilians.
Worse yet, by alleviating the humanitarian difficulties confronting Gaza residents, the international community is effectively reducing popular pressure on Hamas to refrain from sparking another conflict and mitigating popular anger against the terrorist group.
Indeed, the decision to funnel billions to Gaza is so dramatically short-sighted, and so remarkably stupid, that it makes one wonder if Europe and the Obama administration even understand what their own interests are.
And just what, you might be wondering, was the pressing issue that prompted such extensive and concerted action? Well, it wasn’t the mounting Ebola crisis, which has already killed thousands in western Africa and threatens to take the lives of many more. Nor was it the growing disaster confronting Syrian refugees, over 2.3 million of whom have fled to other countries to escape fighting at home.
Believe it or not, the vital topic on the agenda was to raise money to rebuild parts of Hamas-controlled Gaza.
That’s right, despite the Islamist terrorist group’s cynical use of the area as a launching pad for thousands of rocket attacks against Israel, Western powers and others have rushed to open their checkbooks to help with reconstruction.
This is morally obtuse, politically obscene and strategically oblivious behavior, and Israel should loudly and forcefully protest against it.
Consider the following. At the Gaza donor conference, which was held in Cairo, a whopping $5.4 billion was pledged, half of which will go towards rebuilding efforts while the rest will be used to sustain the budget of the Palestinian Authority, which now includes Hamas, through 2017.
In other words, even though the Palestinians siphoned off previous aid and used it to prepare for war with Israel, they are once again becoming recipients of Western largesse.
Needless to say, the funds pledged are not contingent on Hamas disarmament, nor will any demands be made of the terrorist group to cease building tunnels to try and burrow into Israel and murder innocent civilians.
Worse yet, by alleviating the humanitarian difficulties confronting Gaza residents, the international community is effectively reducing popular pressure on Hamas to refrain from sparking another conflict and mitigating popular anger against the terrorist group.
Indeed, the decision to funnel billions to Gaza is so dramatically short-sighted, and so remarkably stupid, that it makes one wonder if Europe and the Obama administration even understand what their own interests are.
After all, why on earth would they want to assist Hamas, even indirectly, to strengthen its position vis-à-vis the Palestinian population? The inanity at work here is even more pronounced when one considers that the United Nations has been having difficulty raising just $1b. to fight Ebola.
Although Ebola has killed more than 4,000 people and spread to at least seven countries, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said on Friday that just $250 million – a mere one-quarter of the amount needed – has been raised thus far.
Although Ebola has killed more than 4,000 people and spread to at least seven countries, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said on Friday that just $250 million – a mere one-quarter of the amount needed – has been raised thus far.
“I now appeal to all member states to act generously and swiftly,” Eliasson said, adding that, “Speed is of the essence. A contribution within days is more important than a larger contribution within weeks.”
And so, even though the number of Ebola cases is reportedly doubling every three to four weeks, billions of dollars will be lavished on Gaza rather than on the jeopardized populations of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Similarly, a recent donor conference in Washington aimed at combating cholera in Haiti, which has killed more than 8,000 people and infected 700,000 others, raised just $52.5m. out of the $400m. needed for the program’s first two years.
And just last month, Ertharin Cousin, the head of the World Food Program, said that because of funding shortages, the organization has had to reduce food rations and distributions.
“We’re going to need to cut rations to those people we’re supporting inside Syria and to cut the size of the vouchers to those Syrians who are refugees outside Syria,” Cousin told the Associated Press (September 23).
Clearly, the money that countries can afford to spend on humanitarian crises is not unlimited, so hard choices often have to be made. But no reasonable moral calculus can justify prioritizing the reconstruction of Gaza apartment buildings over preventing an Ebola epidemic that threatens millions of people.
To be fair, some countries, such as the US, are spending money to combat the disease in other ways, outside the purview of the United Nations.
But what John Kerry and others fail to appreciate is that every dollar they are pouring into Gaza is a dollar that can best be spent saving lives elsewhere.
Rather than strengthening Hamas’s hand, they should be looking to rally international support to stem Ebola before it is too late.
In the meantime, however, thousands of Africans will inexplicably continue to perish while Palestinian contractors and Hamas terrorists in Gaza reap the benefits.
And so, even though the number of Ebola cases is reportedly doubling every three to four weeks, billions of dollars will be lavished on Gaza rather than on the jeopardized populations of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Similarly, a recent donor conference in Washington aimed at combating cholera in Haiti, which has killed more than 8,000 people and infected 700,000 others, raised just $52.5m. out of the $400m. needed for the program’s first two years.
And just last month, Ertharin Cousin, the head of the World Food Program, said that because of funding shortages, the organization has had to reduce food rations and distributions.
“We’re going to need to cut rations to those people we’re supporting inside Syria and to cut the size of the vouchers to those Syrians who are refugees outside Syria,” Cousin told the Associated Press (September 23).
Clearly, the money that countries can afford to spend on humanitarian crises is not unlimited, so hard choices often have to be made. But no reasonable moral calculus can justify prioritizing the reconstruction of Gaza apartment buildings over preventing an Ebola epidemic that threatens millions of people.
To be fair, some countries, such as the US, are spending money to combat the disease in other ways, outside the purview of the United Nations.
But what John Kerry and others fail to appreciate is that every dollar they are pouring into Gaza is a dollar that can best be spent saving lives elsewhere.
Rather than strengthening Hamas’s hand, they should be looking to rally international support to stem Ebola before it is too late.
In the meantime, however, thousands of Africans will inexplicably continue to perish while Palestinian contractors and Hamas terrorists in Gaza reap the benefits.
Source
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Fundamentally-Freund-Is-rebuilding-Gaza-more-important-than-halting-Ebola-378797
Via
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.co.il/2014/10/international-community-pledges-54.html#links
Photo: Getty images, Daily Mail
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Ebola economic impact on Liberia could be catastrophic.
LA Times - Ebola outbreak could be "catastrophic" to the West African economy, with an impact of $32.6 billion by the end of next year if health officials are slow to contain the spread of the deadly virus, the World Bank said in a report Wednesday.
Read more
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ebola-economic-impact-world-bank-20141008-story.html
It makes you wonder what is the hidden agenda for financing Palestinian terrorists. This chart shows the disproportionate world aid for Palestinians.
This generosity cannot be motivated by compassion alone
- misplaced as it would be.
The real agenda is that Europe, the US and Muslim governments have outsourced the killing of Jews and the dismantlement of Israel to the Palestinians.
No cost is too high when it comes to destroying the Jews and their state.
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Chart - http://elderofziyon.blogspot.ca/2014/08/where-does-hamas-get-money-for-tunnels.html#.VD4vGsotCM8
RELATED
HIGH DEGREE OF
PALESTINIAN CORRUPTION
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN AID TO PALESTINIANS LOST TO CORRUPTION AND STILL UNTRACEABLE, SAYS EU STUDY.
(see article at bottom of the page) |
GAZA TUNNELS WERE BUILT WITH CHILD LABOR
160 Gaza children died while building tunnels up to summer of 2012 - More since then.
Hamas leadership got very rich through the business of tunnel smuggling while the Gaza population got poorer.
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Read more about Hamas good life and the loss of billions in the Palestinian Authority.
There were 160 child worker victims in tunnel construction when the report was released in mid-2012. The count must have risen into the hundreds since then, due to accelerated construction.
It should be emphasized that this report denouncing child fatalities in the construction of the terror tunnels came from a Palestinian source, the Institute for Palestine Studies.
(TABLET Magazine) The Institute for Palestine Studies published a detailed report on Gaza’s Tunnel Phenomenon in the summer of 2012. It reported that tunnel construction in Gaza has resulted in a large number of child deaths.
“At least 160 children have been killed in the tunnels, according to Hamas officials”
The author, Nicolas Pelham, explains that Hamas uses child laborers to build their terror tunnels because, “much as in Victorian coal mines, they are prized for their nimble bodies”.
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| Hamas Leaders Khaled Mashal and Ismail Haniyeh |
Human rights groups operating in Gaza raised concerns about child labor in the tunnels as far back as 2008. Hamas responded by saying it was “considering curbs.”
Following Operation Cast Lead in 2009 Hamas softened its position and the Interior Ministry established the Tunnel Affairs Commission (TAC) which, “In response to public concern at a rising toll of tunnel casualties, particularly of child workers…issued guidelines intended to ensure safe working conditions.”
No mention is made in the report of the conditions that would result for both Palestinian and Israeli children from building tunnels that would be used to launch terror attacks.
Nor does it seem that Hamas paid much subsequent attention to ensuring the safety of the child workers that it used to build the tunnels that would wind up endangering the lives of many in Gaza. On a tour of the tunnels in 2011, Pelham noted that, “nothing was done to impede the use of children in the tunnels.”
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| Terror Tunnel - Photo AP |
Not only are Hamas misappropriating much of the humanitarian aid supplied to Gaza—800,000 tons of cement were used to construct the terror tunnels into Israel—they are also directly exploiting and endangering Gaza’s youth in their construction and operation.
Source - http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/180400/hamas-killed-160-palestinian-children-to-build-terror-tunnels
Via - http://elderofziyon.blogspot.co.il/2014/07/0726-links-pariss-kristallnacht-hamas.html#.U9SFcsog-M8
Also on Breitbart - http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/07/27/Report-Hamas-Used-Child-Labor-to-Build-Tunnels-Hundreds-Died
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How the Hamas leadership got very rich while Palestinians got poorer
By 
The Gaza Strip is infamously known as one of the most densely populated areas in the world. While majority of people in Gaza live close to or below the poverty line, the unemployment rate in the Strip stands near 40 percent.
Photo - Ismail Haniyeh (R) and Hamas associates on Haniyeh’s private plane on the way to Qatar at the onset of Operation Protective Edge - Safe from war and inconvenience.
According to the World Bank, a report released in November ranks the Gaza Strip as third in the Arab world in terms of poverty, coming above Sudan and Yemen. Gaza also ranks the 44th poorest region in the world, with most African countries having a higher poverty rate than Gaza.
With such bleak economic conditions, a not so startling report on Ynet revealed that while millions of Gazan’s struggle to make ends meet and put food in their mouths, Hamas leaders and their associates have been wheeling and dealing in multi-million dollar deals, lining their already fattened pockets.
From million dollar land deals, purchasing luxury villas and trading in black market fuel from Egypt, Hamas’s recent money troubles are apparently due to the stealing and conniving of its own.
According to the report, former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has benefited tremendously from being a senior member of Hamas. Before 2006, when Hamas was not yet in power in Gaza, Haniyeh was a minor Hamas figure. After his bump up to a leadership positions, Haniyeh turned into a millionaire almost overnight.
“This is an unusual feat, given that he was born to a refugee family in the al-Shati refugee camp in Northern Gaza,” the report stated.
Haniyeh, who is known to own numerous homes in Gaza, has registered them under the names of his children in order to avoid any backlash. In 2010, Egyptian magazine Rose al-Yusef reported that Haniyeh paid a whopping $4 million for a 2,500 square meter plot of land in the beachfront city of Rimal.
However, where does all this wealth come from? According to the report, Haniyeh and his cronies financially benefited primarily from the “flourishing tunnel industry.” Haniyeh and other senior Hamas figures would impose a 20 percent tax on anything passing through the tunnels.
The tunnel industry reached its peak after the overthrow of former Egyptian dictator Hossni Mubarak. With the Muslim Brotherhood shortly after put in a position of power, Hamas and its associates were able to cultivate relationships with sympathetic Egyptian governmental leaders.
Khairat a-Shater, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, personally transferred tens of millions of dollars in cash to senior Hamas members in Gaza and senior commanders from Hamas’s military wing.
The tunnel systems in Rafah, a town located near the Gaza-Egypt border, flourished in the fuel smuggling industry from Sinai. The fuel was subsidized by the Egyptian government and entered Gaza at low prices. However, Hamas leaders would inflate the cost of fuel for those wishing to purchase it up to eight times. Hamas members made great profit, even as fuel shortages were reported both in Gaza and Egypt.
During the days of the Muslim Brotherhood’s rule in Egypt, Hamas officials were no longer afraid to show off their wealth. Reports indicate that Gaza’s luxury villa market suddenly boomed, with most of them purchased by Hamas members.
Those Hamas leaders who were afraid to hold on to cash reinvested the funds into Egyptian businesses that had ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. In many cases, Ayman Taha, one of Hamas’s founders and a former spokesman, would handle the transactions himself.
While ties with the Muslim Brotherhood helped line the pockets of Hamas, political leader Khaled Mashal also benefited greatly. According to the report, Mashal used Hamas funds for his own purposes. Mashal is reported to have had control of a $2.6 billion fund spread out between Qatar and Egypt.
An accumulation of investments in various projects in the Arab and Muslim world, the money was the main source of funding for the Gaza-based terror organization. Mashal had no problem spending the group’s money as if it was his own.
Investments made through front companies allowed Hamas to purchase shares in various commercial companies and widely expand its real estate portfolio globally. Mashal would use the money to make personal investments registered under family and associates. Companies that are linked to Mashal in Qatar, for example, are registered to his wife and daughters.
One particular project in the Qatari capital of Doha is unofficially linked to Mashal. The Fadil real estate firm, who is responsible for a 27,000 square meter project constructing four towers, including office and commercial space attached to a 10,000 square meter mall, has refused to disclose its funding.
With the ongoing crisis in Gaza, Hamas leaders have played it safe and sought refuge in Qatar. Reports of them living in first class accommodations and literally stuffing their faces with extravagant foods have made the rounds in the media over the last week.
Many in Gaza and around the Arab world have expressed their anger and shame towards Hamas leaders as they fight a war from afar while those in Gaza, on the front lines, are left to fend for themselves.
Source
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BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN AID TO PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY LOST TO CORRUPTION
Billions of dollars in international aid granted to the Palestinian Authority may have been squandered, lost to corruption, or misspent, a report by the European Court of Auditors, the Luxembourg-based watchdog, revealed.
Read more
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/10/13/report-billions-of-dollars-of-aid-to-palestinian-authority-lost-to-corruption/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THIS IS NOT THE UNDEFENSIBLE PARTITIONED ISRAELI STATE
THAT THE US AND ITS MUSLIM ALLIES HAVE IN MIND.
IT'S WORSE.
The US government and the rest of the world advocate for an Israeli state cut in two in order to give Palestinian terrorists a land corridor between Ramallah and Gaza.
http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/10/white-house-contradictory-policy-re.html
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