A year ago, the PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the Palestinian Legislative Council – against Palestinian law – in his never ending effort to ensure his power is as complete and unquestioned as possible.
The PLC was an elected body, and in 2006 most Palestinians voted for Hamas members in the PLC.
The PLC, however, had not met since that election. Abbas made sure of that. So for 12 years it did literally nothing.
But when Abbas dissolved it, it triggered one other event: the salaries that the PLC members received were cut.
So now in Hamas media there is a sob story about how distinguished members of Hamas who have been spending the past decade plus getting full salaries for doing literally nothing are now forced to find work!
Mahmoud al-Khatib, a member of the Legislative Council from Bethlehem, had to open a falafel shop.
Al-Khatib revealed other sad stories of people who suddenly lost their incomes for watching TV all day. One was forced to sell some of his land. Another resorted to selling eggs.
Other Hamas members appealed to the Palestinian Authority to pay them salaries as former prisoners, so they could maintain their lifestyle of doing nothing for money. But the PA has been quietly cutting “pay for slay” to Hamas members so they were rebuffed.
This is a completely dysfunctional society. The PA is corrupt, Abbas is an unrepentant dictator, Gazans are suffering collective punishment from Fatah, Gaza is run by terror groups (and so is the PA territories) – and Hamas newspapers are upset that people who do nothing are forced to make a living.
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