We did not pay attention to a news item saying that the Egyptian authorities seized $9 million and €2 million in the bags of Ayman Taha, member of Hamas delegation, during his return from Cairo to Gaza via the Rafah crossing. The Egyptian authorities deposited the money in the National Bank of Egypt (El-Arish branch) until a decision is taken in this regard.
In November 2006, the Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar tried to smuggle $20 million. In June of the same year, Zahar returned to Gaza having another $20 million in 12 suitcases. In addition, members of Hamas Legislative Council Mushir al-Masry and Ahmad Bahr returned to Gaza with another $4 million.
No one on the sides of Rafah crossing told us about the source of the funds Taha tried to smuggle to Gaza. They did not, of course, fall from the sky, nor were they Taha's inheritance from a relative in an Egyptian district, or donations he could collect from the Relief Committee of the Arab Doctors' Union. Nor did Hamas sell its property in Cairo – if it had property.
Fatah plays with millions of pounds, and Hamas smuggles millions of pounds. Taha said it is Fatah member Mohamed Dahlan who put these funds in his bags to embarrass the Hamas delegation in Cairo! Why did Taha hide these funds? Is the Muslim a liar? It is very important to know the source of these sums of money. Are these sums legitimate and have been collected from the donators, or they are paid by the banned Muslim Brotherhood Group? Can we know the person or the group that gave Taha $9 million and €two million? If these sums came from abroad, how could they be smuggled to Egypt? Has the delegation got them from Tehran before traveling to Cairo through ports and then tried to take them to Gaza? Cairo has become a transit for Hamas's smuggled funds. Are Hamas members strugglers or smugglers?
Zahar admitted that he got these funds from Tehran. Did all the Iranian sums of money that are directed to Hamas enter Egypt through such a way that reminds us of the black-and-white comedy movies? Have these sums been deposited in the National Bank of Egypt to the account of Ismail Haniyeh in their capacity as Hamas funds, or to the account of Taha in his capacity as their smuggler? If the Egyptian authorities applied the law and confiscated the money, they would allege that Cairo besieged the already-besieged Gazans! ................. From the Shura Council Speaker Safwat Al-Sherif: What was said on my behalf that there would be no change in the posts of board chairmen of national press institutions is not accurate. I said that there would be no change because the board chairmen have not completed their term in office, four years, while the term of the chief editors is only three years. Therefore, the change will be confined to the chief editors.
