Long concerned over the misuse of funds donated by Britain and the European Union to the Palestinian Authority, the Board’s evidence focused upon the diversion of budgetary resources for the purposes of personal gain and terrorism.

Board of Deputies Director General Neville Nagler commented “In recent years there has been abundant evidence that funds provided to the Palestinian Authority from EU sources have been diverted for improper or criminal purposes, either to support terrorism or to enrich the leadership of the Palestinian Authority. Terrorism and corruption are embedded in the culture of the PA. There is therefore a special responsibility on all agencies which support the Palestinian economy in any way to ensure that funds made available for legitimate development needs are not diverted for improper or terrorist purposes.”

While the Select Committee’s mandate did not explicitly cover this aspect of Palestinian financing, Neville Nagler continued: “In the view of the Board of Deputies, the Select Committee cannot examine objectively the availability of development assistance in the Palestinian territories without assessing the extent to which at least a part of the assistance provided over the past years has been siphoned off for other nefarious purposes.”