Editor’s Note
This article contains allegations of corruption and violence within the Palestinian Authority. The views expressed by the source are their own. We are publishing this report to highlight a perspective on internal Palestinian dynamics and the severe risks faced by some critics.
Nizar had been fiercely criticizing PA officials on Facebook and other platforms. His post on June 19 was even more radical than before.
The Palestinian Authority, which sacrifices the cause of the “revolution” for establishing an independent Palestinian state to cooperate on security with Israel. The Palestinian Authority, powerless against the expansion of Jewish settlements and the expulsion of Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority, which continues corruption for money and power and appears to be at the beck and call of Israel and Western nations, is like their “mercenaries.” This was roughly the gist of his post.
In reality, corruption and abuse of power by PA officials have been frequently reported.
The sons of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas are businessmen. His second son, Yasser, is the head of the “Falcon Group,” which operates diversified businesses in construction, telecommunications, insurance, and more.
Among these, Falcon Tobacco holds exclusive sales rights for American cigarettes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Falcon Electrical Contracting Company was reported in 2012 to have received a $1.89 million contract in 2005 from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for sewerage work in Hebron, West Bank.
It is pointed out that they have generated huge profits precisely because their father is the head of the PA.
Furthermore, in 2020, it was reported that aid funds sent from the European Union (EU) and Arab nations to the PA were being diverted to the personal accounts of Abbas and his close associates.
What Nizar criticized was this cronyism and corruption within the PA. He particularly condemned the European Union (EU), which provides financial support to the PA, and called for the aid to be stopped.
This was the background to Nizar becoming a target of the PA. According to another cousin, Amal Magdi Banat (27), security forces had detained Nizar a total of 11 times. In April of the same year, they broke into his home on the outskirts of Hebron and, because Nizar was not there, fired shots into the ceiling.
