The US Congress has made allegations of corruption against acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, accusing him of taking advantage of his position.
The House Subcommittee on the Middle East held a hearing on the issue on July 10 titled “Chronic Kleptocracy: Corruption within the Palestinian Political Establishment.”
The chairman of the committee, Ohio Congressman Steve Chabot, said that Abbas has reportedly taken advantage of his position to “line his own pockets as well as those of his… sons.”
Chabot stated that the media, however, blame the “plight of the Palestinians” only on the policies of the Tel Aviv regime and its illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.
The US lawmaker added that Abbas taking advantage of his position prevents figures like Palestinian Authority caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad from getting promoted to higher ranks.
Chabot pointed out that if “one of these (Palestinian) leaders… were to be willing to” negotiate with the Israeli regime, “how can we expect the Palestinian people to respect an agreement negotiated by a hollow leader, devoid of legitimacy among his own people?”
Meanwhile, an opinion poll conducted in June showed that about 71 percent of the Palestinians in the West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip believed the Palestinian Authority was corrupt.
The United States and some other countries have contributed to this corruption due to the fact that they took the matter for granted, the Ohio congressman pointed out.
Presstv
