PA is Wealthy, Not Facing "Impending Bankruptcy"

Intelligence agencies have estimated that the PLO added $5 million dollars per day to its coffers during the 1970s and '80s, and British National Criminal Intelligence Services in 1994 estimated the PLO's net worth at $10 billion dollars....

The PLO even expanded its operations to the illicit drug trade. Sallagh Dabbagh, the PLO former treasurer, stated, "The entire future of the PLO operation for liberation may hinge on our exporting more drugs around the world." Other illegal enterprises included counterfeiting US currency, money laundering, arms smuggling, murders for hire and even bank robberies. The Guinness Book of World Records estimated PLO-organized bank robberies in Europe netted in excess of 100 million dollars....

UN aid estimates that Palestinians received $300 a year per person in handouts as "refugees", the highest figure given any refugees in the world. While many an average Palestinian may be poor due to graft by the leadership, terrorists in the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade were being paid $50,000 a year; a salary many Americans would love to make, but a fortune in the Middle East, where $800 a month is considered a good income.

Even fewer Americans know that Edward Abington, the former US state department consul general in Jerusalem, went to work for the PLO as their chief lobbyist in Washington at a salary of 2.5 million dollars annually. This, right after he agreed, in his former capacity, to donate 400 million dollars of USAID taxpayer money to the Palestinian Authority....

Saudi and Arab emirate donations were usually earmarked for "martyrdom" operations like suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks. President George Bush has yet to strongly censure Saudi aid to Hamas, and even walked hand in hand with Crown Prince Abdullah at Crawford.