Hamas Finance Minister says Gaza suffers considerable financial hardship

The deputy prime minister of the Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip, Ziad Zaza, has revealed that his government is facing considerable financial hardship due to the declining amounts of aid for the Palestinians living in Gaza, and that this is now affecting the government’s ability to fulfil its financial obligations towards public sector employees. “The Arab Spring has limited the government’s access to financial assistance from the Arab and Islamic states,” Zaza told reporters in Gaza City.

However, Zaza added that the financial obstacles facing the government do not yet amount to a crisis “because the government is not in debt to anyone,” and he vowed that Gaza will overcome these hardships as it has done previous ones.

The Finance Minister expressed serious concern about the developments emerging from the Arab Spring, believing that its course has now turned to serve the Israeli and American imperial project. However, he also noted that the Islamic resistance distances itself from Arab affairs to focus on internal Palestinian issues.

Zaza then turned to the Palestinian reconciliation efforts, pointing out that his movement has proposed to the Fatah delegation, which recently visited the Gaza Strip, to form joint committees to supervise the reconciliation efforts, and that they are still awaiting a response from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on this proposal.

On the other hand, Zaza revealed that the Hamas-led government has rejected a request from the United Arab Emirates to finance projects in the Gaza Strip through intermediaries. Zaza said that a committee representing the Palestinian factions and the Palestinian Legislative Council will be formed instead to supervise the United Arab Emirates aid. Meanwhile, he insisted that there are no contacts between his government and former member of Fatah Mohammed Dahlan, who fled from Gaza to the United Arab Emirates.

Zaza concluded by calling on President Abbas to immediately withdraw from the peace negotiations with Israel, saying that they are “worthless”, and to listen to the Palestinian street rather than to Israel. “We reject the framework plan proposed by US Secretary of State John Kerry for a settlement with Israel because it aims to establish a nonviable and demilitarised Palestinian state where Israel controls our land, air and water; and even more importantly, without Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.

Zaza denied having any direct contact with Israel, pointing out that the government follows up on the ceasefire agreement through the Egyptian mediator.