HANIYEH CRITICIZES PA FOR NOT SPENDING FAIR AMOUNT OF BUDGET ON GAZA

Gaza, 15 Rabiul Awwal 1436/6 January 2015 (MINA)– Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday (4/1) said in a speech that despite the formation of the unity government, the Palestinian Authority was not spending a fair amount of its budget on Gaza.

“They (the PA) take $70 million in taxes and returns from Gaza each month, and it is not true what they have claimed — that they spend 55 percent of their budget on Gaza,” Haniyeh said, Maan News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

He gave his remarks during a speech that followed the funeral of two young Palestinians who died in a house fire. Initial civil defense force investigations showed that the fire was caused by a candle the family was using due to regular power cuts. Palestinians in Gaza blame the Israeli siege for the cuts, given that it severely limits imports and exports into the Strip, including fuel.

Haniyeh continued: “Where is the nationalistic, moral, and religious responsibility taken by our brothers in Ramallah while they see our children burned because of this tragedy, the siege, and the crises?”

He also asked why the necessary fuel material to operate Gaza’s sole power station had not been allowed into the Strip.

“There are those who want to throw Gaza in the sea — unfortunately not just our enemies but our own people,” he added. (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)