Will Israel accept UAE donations to East Jerusalem?
Former Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan appears to have caught Israel by surprise with an announcement of a $70 million donation from the UAE for the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem.
Mohammed Dahlan is known for his expertise in raising funds from leaders of the Gulf states for Palestinian residents of Gaza Strip and West Bank refugee camps. The loyal associates of the Gaza-born politician and former senior member of Fatah call themselves Jamaat Abu Fadi — that is, Abu Fadi’s group, using his Arabic honorific. They recount proudly how he charms emirs, princes and oil tycoons in the Gulf principalities and mobilizes their assistance for his people, primarily the 2 million Gaza residents now suffering under an Israeli and Egyptian siege of more than a decade.
Dahlan's opponents, loyalists of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, claim that his fundraising for the refugee camps is designed to strengthen Dahlan’s standing and garner sufficient support for him to replace Abbas when the time comes. Nevertheless, Abbas has not dared block the funds raised by his rival for West Bank refugee camps, lest he be accused of harming West Bank residents just to poke Dahlan in the eye. Meanwhile, Gaza's Hamas rulers credit Dahlan with the successful reconciliation between the Islamist group and Egypt, restored deliveries of diesel and other fuel from Egypt to Gaza and grants for infrastructure improvements, as well as aid for the needy, help for young couples, arrangements for mass weddings and housing assistance.
Israel is officially encouraging donor states to mobilize for Gaza’s reconstruction, fearing that a deeper humanitarian crisis in the enclave will result in an escalation of violence in the region. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Tzahi Hanegbi and Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, head of Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, took part in an emergency meeting of Western and Arab donor states in January in Brussels and a previous meeting, in New York last September, urging them to help Gaza.
As long as “Dahlan’s funds” reached Gaza, and even the West Bank, everyone was satisfied. Israel even turned a blind eye when Qatar provided funding for projects to benefit Israeli Arab citizens, including the construction of a football stadium in the Galilee town of Sakhnin named after the Qatari capital, Doha. In an April 23 tweet, however, Dahlan signaled that he is no longer content with channeling funds to Gaza and the West Bank and has found a new target — Jerusalem.
