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Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

The waBenzi of the West Bank and Gaza (Part 1)

May 9, 2019 4:00 pm By Hugh Fitzgerald

In southern Africa, the black Africans have a sardonic name for their corrupt leaders. They call them the “waBenzi” — the “People of the Mercedes-Benz” –who drive their luxury vehicles up and down the handful of paved roads in the countries they rule over, the countries from whose treasuries they help themselves to the money they need to pay for their African palaces, their Riviera villas, and of course, for those Mercedes-Benzes that give them their names.

But there is another tribe of the waBenzi who have outdone any African leader in the scale of their corruption. These are the leaders of Hamas and the Palestine Authority, and before them, that past master of corruption, the PLO’s head Yasser Arafat. At Arafat’s death, he left a fortune estimated at between one and three billion dollars; the Israelis think he may have been down to his last billion but no one is sure, and no one knows what happened to any of it, save for that handful of Palestinians close to Arafat who managed to help themselves to whatever they could get their hands on. His long-time financial advisor, Mohamed Rashid, quit his employ in 2003, but has been a continuous source of information about various secret bank accounts held by Arafat. What is certain is that no matter what money may have been recovered, it is not going to the people but, rather, to the well-connected in the Palestinian hierarchy. The higher up you are, the more money you are allowed to steal.

Mahmoud Abbas has not been quite as successful in accumulating wealth as was Arafat, but give him time: he’s only been in office, as head of the PLO, since 2004, and as head of the Palestine Authority since 2005. That has given him only 14 years to help himself to money, while Arafat was head of the PLO for several decades. With his two sons Tarek and Yasser, Mahmoud Abbas has managed to amass a business empire that, as of two years ago, was reported to be worth $400 million; it must have gone up in value since. One wonders what would happen if the Palestinians were fully cognizant of how much money that was meant for them– aid money from the U.S., E.U., and Arab countries — has been siphoned off, first by Arafat and then by his successor Mahmoud Abbas.

Then there is Hamas, whose leaders deserve some kind of prize for the sheer size of their defalcations. Mousa Abu Marzouk, once the No. 2 in Hamas, and a fund-raiser, diverted to himself large amounts of what he raised; his personal fortune is said to be between two and three billion dollars. According to Col. (res.) Dr. Moshe Elad, a lecturer in the Middle East Department of the Western Galilee Academic College, here is how the Hamas bonanza happened:

“The vast majority of Hamas founders and leaders were refugees or second generation refugees, and some of them were the product of marriages between Egyptians and Palestinians. They had no money at all. When they and Hamas were just starting out, the organization (not in its own name) was nurtured by the Israeli military government, which fostered the Islamic associations working in the Gaza Strip as a counterweight to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Their phenomenal wealth started accumulating when they decided to disassociate themselves from Israel and search for alternative financing sources.”

“Elad explains that the money came from two directions: “Legacies from the deceased; money from charity funds; a donation called zaka, one of the six pillars of Islam; and donations from various countries. It started with Syria and Saudi Arabia, with Iran added later and becoming one of Hamas’s biggest supporters, and ended with Qatar, which has now taken Iran’s place.”

“Together with the donations from various countries, fundraisers began operating in the US to collect money for Hamas. Here, the Hamas leaders began to get their hands on some really big money. ‘One of those fundraisers was Dr. Musa Abu Marzook, the number 2 man in Hamas,’ Elad says. ‘At the beginning of the 1990s, he began a fundraising campaign in the US among wealthy Muslims, while at the same time founding several banking enterprises. He himself became a conglomerate of 10 financial enterprises giving loans and making financial investments. He’s an amazing financier.’”

“The US administration ordered Marzook’s arrest in 1995 on charges of supporting terrorism. After he spent two years in a US prison, it was decided to expel him without trial. He kept the money. ‘When he was expelled from the US in 1997, he was already worth several million dollars,’ Elad says, adding, ‘Somehow he evaded the clutches of the US Internal Revenue Service and was not charged with financing terrorism. People in the know say he probably became connected to the administration and cooperated with it. There is no proof, but it’s hard to think of any other reason why he escaped punishment for such serious offenses. In 2001, in the investigation of the September 11 events, it turned out that he had extensive financial connections with Al Qaeda, including the transfer of funds to the 21 Al Qaeda operatives accused of the attacks.’”

Today, Marzook is considered one of Hamas’s wealthiest billionaires. ‘Arab sources estimate his wealth at $2-3 billion,’ Elad says.”

‘“Even better off is Khaled Meshaal, whose worth is estimated at between $2.5 and $5 billion dollars. “Estimates around the world are that Mashaal is currently worth $2.6 billion, but the numbers mentioned by the Arab commentators (based on their many sources) are much higher, varying from $2-5 billion invested in Egyptian and Persian Gulf banks, and some in real estate projects in the Persian Gulf countries,” Elad adds.”

“The next tycoon on the list is Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. “He is a scion of a family from the Al-Shati refugee camp, and his capital is estimated at $4 million,” Elad says, adding, “He registered most of his assets in the Gaza Strip in the name of his son-in-law, Nabil, and in the name of a dozen of his sons and daughters and a few less well known Hamas leaders. They all have homes in good neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip, where the value of every home is at least $1 million.’” [As of 2019, other sources give Haniyeh’s net worth as $10 million]

“Another wealthy Hamas official – Iman Haha – is not on the organization’s highest levels, but he, too, (and other junior managers) is feeding from the trough. According to Elad, ‘He was a poor rebellious kid from the al-Borg refugee camp, but he recently built a home in central Gaza worth at least $1 million. He’s responsible for coordination between oversea Hamas and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and he’s not even a leading figure, but he’s already among the millionaires.’”

“The Asharq Al-Awsat (Middle East) newspaper, one of the most prestigious in the Arab world, recently reported that at least 600 millionaires were living in the Gaza Strip – the same people sitting on the money pipelines there.

But it’s not only their cut of the aid money that fills the pockets of Palestinian waBenzi.

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Filed Under: Gaza, Hamas Tagged With: hamas, Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority, palestinians


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Comments

  1. Alarmed Pig Farmer says

    May 9, 2019 at 4:12 pm

    moBenzi.

    Islamic countries are inherently kleptocracies, Many dispute the claim that Amazon/WaPo man Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest man; they think the Supreme Leader of Iran is. But his financial assets are kept quiet, as are the disputations of those who think the Supreme Leader is the richest of all. To do that would be Islamophobic, a sure guarantee of one’s career.

    • Hugh Fitzgerald says

      May 9, 2019 at 4:27 pm

      In Part 2 I report on Ayatollah Khameini, who has a business empire said to be worth $250 billion.

      • mortimer says

        May 9, 2019 at 5:13 pm

        Who said that crime doesn’t pay? ISLAMIC FINANCIAL CRIMES PAY BIG TIME.

      • Rarely says

        May 9, 2019 at 5:26 pm

        He certainly isn’t spending it on clothes.

        • mortimer says

          May 10, 2019 at 11:27 am

          MARZOUK IS NO 2 IN HAMAS

          Mousa Abu Marzouk “TERRORIST” IS ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER !!!!

          Exiled: Marzook began to live in Jordan and his stay there lasted from 1998 to 2001. Then he began to live in Damascus, Syria in 2001. As of 2012, Marzook lives in New Cairo, Egypt.

          Arrested: In the mid-1990s Marzook was arrested in JFK airport with no formal charges placed against him. Two months after his detainment, Israel filed a request for the United States to extradite him. Represented by Stanley L. Cohen, who is Jewish, he spent the following 2 years fighting his case in the court system, but the final decision was for his extradition, after which Israel dropped its extradition request. With no formal charges against him the United States released him, but not wanting him to remain, the United States contacted numerous Arab countries to allow Marzook residency. All refused, except Jordan, which reportedly agreed under U.S. pressure. Cohen continues to legally represent Marzook.

          NO. 2 in HAMAS: Following the eight-day cross-border battle between Israel and Hamas in November, 2012, Moussa Abu Marzouk said that Hamas would not stop making weapons in Gaza or smuggling them to the territory. According to the Associated Press, Moussa Abu Marzouk is the No 2 leader in Hamas.

          NET WORTH: almost 3 BILLION

  2. mortimer says

    May 9, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    Meanwhile, the people of Islamic countries live in squalor even as their corrupt dictators syphon off most of the wealth in their countries that should be going to the people. The duped Muslim people do nothing to stop the dictators and even allow themselves to be tricked into supporting these mega-thieves.

    All in the name of purported loyalty to Sharia law … it’s the tool the dictators use to manipulate the masses and keep them subdued and impoverished.

    Islam is the source of this corruption and dysfunction.

    • Carol the 1st says

      May 11, 2019 at 5:42 pm

      You make me glow with these lovely stories Mortimer! They’re “grimly” hilarious and make me sleep so much better at night.

      BTW I hope Robert Spencer’s health is doing better. Have I missed any news?

  3. gravenimage says

    May 9, 2019 at 5:45 pm

    The waBenzi of the West Bank and Gaza (Part 1)
    …………………….

    Just more Islamic kleptocrats.

    Yet, you constantly find those stumping for Shari’ah finance claiming that capitalism and free trade are somehow the problems. Just ludicrous.

  4. jarmanray says

    May 9, 2019 at 6:20 pm

    In South Africa the ANC candidates would drive old VWs and Toyotas into the town ships in the Western Cape (Cape Town area) trying to look as poor as their would be voters. The Democratic Alternative (DA) led by Helen Zille gathered up some of the people of the township and followed them to the parking lots where the ANC would leave the old cars and enter their Mercedes and BMW (500 and 700 series). The DA trounced the ANC in the election in the province. The Israelis should try the same tactics to highlight the hypocrisy of the PA and Hamas. Even the Saudi or Jordanian press, who hates Hamas and has proven to be no friend of the PA could show the people their rulers as they truly are.

  5. SemiDave says

    May 9, 2019 at 7:07 pm

    Why did these modern day muslim warlords become so wealthy, especially through fund raising in the US?

    Take note of who were the presidents at the time of say Marzook…Bill Clinton. After that, the Bush father and son made sure that muslims would take their place in the NWO plan for one world religion through their support. Obama continued the plan as a more direct source as he allied with the Muslim Brotherhood by, for example, removing Muammar Gaddafi from power in Libya. HR Clinton was to be the final stroke.

    Wherever in the world the NWO is actually headquartered, the money to bankroll it is definitely centred in North America with the likes of the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Bill and Linda Gates and others.

    A majority of world events are not seperate and sporadic when viewed in a holistic way, and they should be viewed that way.

  6. Max says

    May 9, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    The waBenzi drive their luxury vehicles in the countries they rule over and use the treasuries to help themselves to pay for their palaces.

    How is this any different to what the radical left Democrats, like Sanders, want to do in America, by imposing taxes of up to 90%, abolishing freedom of speech and transferring 100% of the control of health care and energy to the Government with their new green deal?

  7. CRUSADER says

    May 9, 2019 at 8:46 pm

    Reminded of the sardonically humorous
    part in this movie where the overlords are to be driven
    in pimped-up fancy cars, which the rest of the population
    think are indications of might and respect….

    How easy it is to mock such base authoritarians!

    Fake Saddam Hussein scene in
    “Three Kings” movie :

  8. Eric Jones says

    May 9, 2019 at 10:02 pm

    This needs to be exposed more.

    Eric

  9. Relic says

    May 9, 2019 at 11:45 pm

    wee

    • CRUSADER says

      May 10, 2019 at 1:56 am

      “….driving all the young girls crazy” ?

      (What a bunch of houris!)

  10. Chand says

    May 10, 2019 at 5:20 am

    Dr. Moshe Elad: “………………………Hamas were just starting out, the organization (not in its own name) was nurtured by the Israeli military government, which fostered the Islamic associations working in the Gaza Strip as a counterweight to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).”

    Hmmmm…………………..interesting.

    A familiar stink here?

    Islamists being nurtured to counter the more secular Muslims?

    Seen that before. Jihadis being supported to counter the Marxist Afghan puppets of the USSR. Muslim Brotherhood was probably a better option than Nasser’s socialism and Assad’s Arab nationalism.
    Some of today’s jihadi problem is a result of flawed policies of the past to nurture Islamic fundamentalists to counter the Marxist/secularist influences.
    Of course, all is fair in love and (Cold) war.

    • gravenimage says

      May 11, 2019 at 2:06 am

      Another claim that Jihad is all the fault of the ‘filthy Infidels”…

  11. Danny Dean says

    May 12, 2019 at 5:52 pm

    JUDEA & SAMARIA – that’s a ridge of mountains and not a (f…) bank!!!

    You can find the Jordan river’s bank way further east and down below sea level!

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