Following Israel’s anti-terror operation last week in Jenin, residents of the West Bank city have taken to social media to express their worries that international donations toward its reconstruction will not reach the local population and will instead be pocketed by Palestinian Authority (PA) officials.
Millions of dollars have already been pledged by Arab countries to rebuild roads and buildings damaged in the operation. The UAE pledged $15 million, Algeria $30 million, and more donations are expected to come from Qatar and other countries, while funds have also been collected from Palestinian individuals.
A ministerial committee formed by the PA to assess the damage announced on Thursday that around $15.5 million would be needed for the reconstruction. Most of the damage caused in the 48-hour military operation is concentrated in the Jenin refugee camp.
The large volume of donations prompted some local residents to wonder about how the Palestinian Authority will spend it. Some have expressed concerns that the money will meet the fate of “many projects that the Palestinian Authority has promoted over the decades and have remained a dead letter,” according to the Hamas-affiliated Shehab news agency, whose website is banned in the PA-controlled West Bank.
Young activist Mona al-Rimawi, 21, a resident of the Jenin refugee camp, suggested that the PA may use the money left over after the reconstruction for its own purposes.
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