A report in Palestinian Authority media appears to dent the reputation Hamas has enjoyed as an organization whose leaders lead austere lifestyles, as opposed to Fatah's corrupt leadership.
The report, in the independent Kafiyeh network, claims that Hamas Gaza kingpin Ismail Haniyeh has bought property worth $4 million, (where does a terrorist get that from?), in Gaza and apparently intends to build there. The purchase is reportedly registered in the name of one of his sons, (ah ha), Haniyeh has reportedly purchased real estate for his family members as well, including an apartment for his wife.
The source for the report is an unnamed person who is close to Haniyeh. The source said he was astonished to learn of the sums Haniyeh is paying for the property, in view of the fact that when he was Sheikh Ahmed Yasin's bureau manager, he made do with a meager salary that barely sufficed for his family's survival.
One speculation cited in the news item is that the money fell into Hamas's hands when it took over Gaza from the forces of rival terror group Fatah.
And as for Fatah
- Hundreds of millions of dollars under the control of the Palestinian Authority have landed in the pockets of senior PA officials, including PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, according to a Tuesday evening report by Israel's Channel 10.
Members of the anti-corruption department of the PA have threatened that if embezzlers and participants in the corruption are not held to account and changes made, they will continue to publicly expose instances of fraud pertaining to the officials.
Included in the crimes were real estate deals made by senior officials in the name of the Authority, which were actually ploys to take money belonging to the establishment and to transfer parts of it to private accounts under their personal control.
Former PA corruption buster Fahmi Shabaneh recently told reporters that he believes public dislike and distrust of Fatah will ultimately lead to the overthrow of the party in favor of Hamas. Shabaneh was fired by Abbas after bringing the issues to his attention, according to media sources.
Abbas and a deputy of his are among the officials named in the corruption scandal.