Two days prior to the June 25 US-led summit in Bahrain, finance ministers of the Arab League convened in Cairo at the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a bid to rescue the PA from collapse. The June 23 discussions produced a decision to provide the PA with $100 million in monthly economic aid, some of it as grants and some as loans.

Abbas’ appeal to the Arab League was likely intended to deflect some of the criticism directed at him within the PA for rushing to boycott the US economic plan presented in Bahrain, even though it would be wealthy Persian Gulf emirates offering most of the money and the aid would be provided through an international investment fund.

In the space of one week, the Palestinians have been deluged with an unbelievable bonanza: Tens of billions of dollars pledged in Bahrain and hundreds of millions in Cairo. Both groups also pledged infrastructure improvements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, new industries and trade, employment projects and even a transportation corridor connecting Gaza and the West Bank.

Abbas has long been the target of extensive criticism in the PA. Polls conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research indicate that most PA residents hope the 83-year-old leader will step down soon. Such sentiments are not voiced publicly, certainly not in the Palestinian media. Criticism of the president is taboo in the West Bank and those who dare express any could find themselves tarred as “enemies of the people” and risk imprisonment. Hints of displeasure with Abbas are found mostly on social media.