The money destined for Palestine follows at least three streams. The first is that operated by individual states or entities such as the European Union. The second is administered by the UN. The third, the most dangerous, supports the terrorist army Hamas. The calculation is not easy because the numbers vary between different sources.
1. Let’s start with the official channels. Who are the most generous donors?
The Pecdar, “Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction,” based in the West Bank, collected official data from 1994 to 2021, with partial references to 2022 and 2023. 1994 is the year after the Oslo Accords, when Yasser Arafat, leader of Die PLO recognized Israel’s “right to exist.” Well, first among financiers is the European Union with $7.6 billion. Followed by the United States with 5.746 billion and Saudi Arabia with 4 billion and so on. The amounts transferred by the UN are not included in the calculation, which we will see shortly.
2. What role did the European Union play?
European engagement has evolved over time. After an initial phase of exclusively humanitarian aid, in 2003 the EU developed various economic development projects in collaboration with the United States, Russia and the United Nations as part of the Road Map for Peace. The initiative was intended to give economic substance to the formula of “two states”, Palestine and Israel, independent and sovereign.
Finally, the EU has launched the “Common European Strategy 2021-2024”, which has a budget of 1.17 billion euros. Currently, 681 million euros have reached their target, distributed across the seven chapters of the plan, which range from institutional reforms to basic needs such as water and energy. The funds will also be used to pay the salaries of state employees, pensions, social and health care for the most vulnerable.
3. How did the UN act?
The second funding channel, essentially humanitarian aid, comes through UNRWA, the United Nations agency that deals with “Palestinian refugees in the Middle East,” including the Gaza Strip. The United States leads the way with $343 million. Germany follows with 202 million. Italy is in 14th place with 18 million. Qatar is in twentieth place with 10.5 million. The data refers to the year 2022.
We enter the third level, almost always secretly. The EU and the USA assure that they have never financed Hamas. However, there are strong suspicions that Gaza militiamen used some of the humanitarian aid to buy weapons and rockets. Qatar’s moves are now under observation. In 2005 the Israeli government withdrew from Gaza; Hamas then won the elections and asked a friendly country, Qatar, for help. Doha’s “shoulders” transported suitcases full of dollars to the Gaza Strip with the tacit approval of the Israelis. The Qataris themselves stated that from 2012 to 2021 they paid $1.49 billion into Hamas’s coffers to be used for the needs of the population.
Added to this is the hidden income. According to the US State Department, Iran transfers at least $100 million every twelve months to the jihadists in Gaza. Other unquantifiable donations came from support groups in Turkey, Kuwait and Malaysia. It’s not enough. The profits from Hamas’s financial portfolio must be counted: 500 million in real estate investments in Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates. The account is closed by the $450 million earned by smuggling goods, including drugs, from South America. All of this is to maintain an army and tunnel network that costs between $300 million and $500 million per year.