By September 17, 2009, Erekat was bragging to U.S. officials that the PA had complete control over “zakat” committees, or Muslim charities, in the West Bank, as well as the weekly Friday sermons. Related Qurei to Israel: "Occupy the crossing" Top PA negotiator offers to allow Israel to reoccupy the Philadelphi corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border. Ali Abunimah: Cutting off a vital connection Palestinian officials were often more concerned with applying pressure to Hamas than easing a humanitarian crisis. “We have invested time and effort and even killed our own people to maintain order and the rule of law,” Erekat said. “The Prime Minister is doing everything possible to build the institutions. We are not a country yet but we are the only ones in the Arab world who control the Zakat and the sermons in the mosques. We are getting our act together.” In 2007, Reuters reported that Fatah was “increasing pressure on ‘zakat’ charity committees that support the network of Islamic schools and health clinics which helped fuel Hamas's rise to power.” On one occasion, the news service reported, 20 gunmen stormed a dairy funded by such a zakat committee but were ultimately persuaded to leave. http://arikatmail.tumblr.com/ http://freeglobalinformation.wordpress.com/ http://freedomforjordan.blogspot.com/
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