It’s not clear at this stage whether Shtayyeh was successful in persuading the donor countries to resume or increase their financial aid to the Palestinians. The killing of Abu Akleh may significantly contribute to the Palestinians’ diplomatic and media warfare against Israel, but it will not necessarily bring more money into the coffers of the PA.
The Europeans and other Western donors have, at least in the past few years, been exerting heavy pressure on the PA to end the incitement and tone down its rhetoric against Israel.
For now, it’s evident that the pressure has proven to be ineffective.
In fact, it seems that matters have been going in the opposite direction. The voices and messages emanating from Ramallah and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip have become even more toxic, as evidenced before and during Ramadan.
Allegations that Jewish settlers are “storming” and “desecrating” the Aqsa Mosque during their tours of the Temple Mount are sounded almost every day in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Senior PA and Hamas officials don’t miss an opportunity to accuse Israel of planning to “commit crimes” against one of Islam’s holiest sites, Jerusalem, and the Palestinian people.
Against this backdrop, terrorist attacks were carried out in Beersheba, Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv, Elad and Jerusalem. The attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 19 people, are said to be connected, directly and indirectly, to the tensions at the Temple Mount and Jerusalem.
Yet, just as the tensions and violence appeared to be fading away, the incident involving the popular Al Jazeera journalist took Israel and the Palestinians back to square one. The PA, Hamas and other Palestinian factions and parties are now using the tragedy to further whip up anti-Israel sentiment among the Palestinians.
The protests against the killing of Abu Akleh are likely to continue in the coming days and weeks. The protests, which coincide with the first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, could escalate during the Palestinians’ annual commemoration of Nakba Day on May 15 in protest against the establishment of Israel.
The PA is now hoping to turn the tragedy of the reporter into a new version of the incident involving Mohammed al-Durrah, the 12-year-old boy who was killed in the Gaza Strip in 2000 after being caught in a crossfire between the IDF and Palestinian security forces.
The main goal is to increase the international pressure on Israel to halt all its practices in Jerusalem and the West Bank, including construction in the settlements and security measures at the Temple Mount.
The PA’s efforts are directed mainly toward the US and the EU.
(full article online)
PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS: Amid the Shireen Abu Akleh battle of blame, Palestinian PM Shtayyeh was in Brussels looking for international aid.
www.jpost.com