- . Digg It
- . Sphere It
- . E-mail This
- . Save to del.icio.us
- . Permanent Link
Where Politics Begin, Charity Ends
Palestine's struggle for hearts, minds, and social services
It's an even sadder than usual Ramadan in the West Bank and Gaza this year. The grinches during this Islamic holiday season are the U.S. Department of Treasury and the sitting Palestinian government. On August 7, the U.S. Department of Treasury "designated" the Al-Salah Society, one of the largest Palestinian charities, a terrorist organization. The Fatah-led Palestinian government followed suit by shutting down 103 charities accused of "financial improprieties" — and of providing a power base for Fatah's rivals, Hamas.
Even if you haven't been keeping up with the in-fighting among Palestinian factions and don't care who was elected and who wasn't, you can appreciate what it means for organizations that have been feeding, housing, educating, and providing medical care to thousands of families to suddenly be shut down. Not a happy holiday. As one widow and mother of two who received monthly support from Al-Salah asks, "How Will I Care For My Children?"
Let's say for the sake of argument that the U.S. Treasury is right and that in addition to all its feel-good work, Al-Salah "recruited and indoctrinated youth" on behalf of Hamas. Heck, let's concede that these do-gooders are also terrorists. Shut 'em down. But what happens to all the people whose only means of support is suddenly cut off?
Even if you haven't been keeping up with the in-fighting among Palestinian factions and don't care who was elected and who wasn't, you can appreciate what it means for organizations that have been feeding, housing, educating, and providing medical care to thousands of families to suddenly be shut down. Not a happy holiday. As one widow and mother of two who received monthly support from Al-Salah asks, "How Will I Care For My Children?"
Let's say for the sake of argument that the U.S. Treasury is right and that in addition to all its feel-good work, Al-Salah "recruited and indoctrinated youth" on behalf of Hamas. Heck, let's concede that these do-gooders are also terrorists. Shut 'em down. But what happens to all the people whose only means of support is suddenly cut off?
What People Are Saying…
Leave a Comment