Saudi, Iraqi money relieve Palestinian suffering

The Jerusalem Times (A Palestinian Publication) 4 July 2002
http://www.jerusalem-times.net/article/news/details/detail.asp?id=1584

The popularity of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has increased
among the Palestinians due to the millions of dollars he has granted the
families of martyrs in the Intifada.

Many Palestinians reprimand Arab leaders for failing
to afford financial aid to the 20-month-old Intifada, but Hussein enjoys
great popularity amongst people such as Rawhiyya Ilayyan.

Illayan is a mother of seven. Her husband was killed
in September near an Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip, making her one of
thousands of distraught Palestinians receiving assistance from Iraq. Ilayyan
intends to use the $10,000 she received to renovate her home in the Rafah
refugee camp, which has been the arena of many Palestinian-Israeli clashes.

Said Ilayyan, "This is a cruel world. I want to know
who's the terrorist, Saddam Hussein, who helps orphans, or [Israeli Prime
Minister] Ariel Sharon and [US President] George Bush, who killed children
in Palestine and Afghanistan."

Palestinian officials have said that the Iraqi
president has so far provided $5m in aid to Gaza families that have lost
family members as martyrs.

Israel has accused Saudi Arabia and Iraq of
supporting the families of suicide bombers that have killed tens of
Israelis, claiming that compensatory payments to such people encourage the
killing of Israelis. It should be noted that Israel considers Iraq the first
threat to instability in the Middle East.

Palestinian officials said that the money goes to
the families of martyrs, whether they were armed fighters or civilians.
Ahmed Bahr, president of the largest charitable organization in Gaza, said
the organization receives aid from charitable organizations from around the
world, including some from Saudi Arabia, and distributes it to orphans, the
injured, prisoners, and needy families.

"The money goes to orphans - all of them," said
Bahr, "even those whose fathers were killed for having collaborated with
Israel. The Israeli accusations are baseless."

The Saudi Government and international donors such
as the EU provide financial aid to the PNA. Israel claims that President
Yasser Arafat forwards some of the aid to extreme Palestinian organizations
involved in "violence".

Iraqi flags and pictures of the Iraqi president,
whose popularity grew after he challenged the US, commonly appear in
Palestinian rallies in support of the Intifada.

Iraq also supports the reconstruction of tens of
homes demolished by Israel. Ibrahim Al-Zaaneen, official at the Arab
Liberation Front, a supporter of Iraq, said, "I lost a son in clashes with
Israeli occupation forces. I received $10,000. Families of martyrdom
commandos receive $25,000."

Zaaneen said that Iraq paid $25,000 to each family
that lost its home in the Jenin refugee camp recently. "Every displaced
family receives $5,000, but Jenin received exceptional treatment due to its
perseverance and heroism in the face of the Israelis. This is a large sum
considering the poverty endured by the families, most of whom live below the
poverty line, meaning their income is less than $2 per day".

The Arab Liberation Front distributed the aid during
an event designed to honor martyrs in Gaza and the West Bank.
Representatives meted out $500,000 to 48 families in Khan Younis and Rafah
in the Gaza Strip. Each family received $10,000, while the families of two
martyrdom commandos received $25,000 each.

The father of Masoud Dawoud, who was killed after
attacking an Israeli soldier guarding a Zionist settlement, said he would
spend his $10,000 on treating himself and his other son. "We wish that all
Arab leaders would follow the initiative of Saddam. It is not a matter of
money, but of honor and appreciation of our resistance."

The family of each family of an activist killed
while resisting occupation receives a certificate of appreciation from the
ruling Iraqi Al-Baath Party.

Sharon told the US President earlier this month that
Saudi Arabia provides financial aid to the families of martyrdom commandos.
Ahmed Al-Kurd, director of the Islamic Rapprochement Organization, said that
such allegations are meant to discourage charitable organizations in the
Arab World and the West from supporting the Palestinians.

Kurd said that Islamic charitable organizations,
like their Christian counterparts, seek only to help the needy, regardless
of identity, gender, or location. He mentioned that the Israeli Civil
Administration undertook similar humanitarian efforts in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip before the inception of the PNA.

Kurd said that Sharon's accusations against Saudi
Arabia are nothing but lies. Saudi Arabia has supported the Palestinian
resistance of Israel for 54 years and has bolstered its diplomatic role
lately by offering normalization with Israel in exchange for the removal of
occupation. Reuters