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The US Congress has been investigating corruption within the Palestinian Authority, a leading beneficiary of U.S. aid.
The House has heard testimony of PA corruption in 2012 under the regime of chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Witnesses told the House Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia that Abbas’ two sons were acquiring millions of dollars in U.S. aid.
“Reports suggest that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, like his predecessor Yasser Arafat, has used his position of power to line his own pockets as well as those of his cohort of cronies, including his sons, Yasser and Tareq,” House subcommittee chairman Rep. Steve Chabot said.
In a hearing on July 10, the subcommittee heard testimony on how Abbas’ sons were winning U.S. Agency for International Development contracts for projects throughout the West Bank. One analyst said the State Department has been aware of PA nepotism and corruption.
“The staff at the U.S. consulate-general in East Jerusalem reportedly knows that Palestinians believe their ruling elites are corrupt,” Jonathan Schanzer, vice president at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said. “But for reasons that are not entirely clear, the State Department has yet to issue a clear statement to address the issue, or what it intends to do about it.”
Schanzer said Abbas and his family have benefited from U.S. aid. At the same time, Abbas was said to have approved the prosecution of his enemies, including former Arafat adviser Mohammed Rashid, on corruption charges.
The subcommittee was told that Abbas has quelled any Palestinian debate over the contracts awarded to his sons. As a result, a recent poll showed that more than 70 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank agreed that the Abbas regime was corrupt.
“For years, however, numerous concerns have mounted about deep and widespread corruption within the Palestinian political establishment, including reported fraudulent use of U.S. financial assistance,” Cabot said.
Witnesses said Abbas has undermined anti-corruption efforts within the PA. They told the subcommittee that Palestinian critics, including journalists, have been arrested and websites shut down.
“There are a number of significant matters related to corruption that deserve real investigations, such as the business activities of the sons of President Abbas,” Elliot Abrams, a former senior official at the National Security Council, said. “He has been particularly allergic to such inquiries, and his reaction to allegations has often been swift and illegal.”
