Palestinians pretend to combat money laundering for terrorists - and the world believes them ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Palestinians pretend to combat money laundering for terrorists - and the world believes them

In May, the Palestinian Monetary Authority issued a press release:

During the MENAFATF Meetings, the Chairman of the National Committee H.E. Mr. Yahya Shunnar met with the President of MENAFATF Mrs. Samia Abu Sharif, The meeting was also attended by the Vice President of the MENAFATF Mr. Hamed Alzaabi and the Executive Secretary Mr. Suliman Aljebrin, and the Financial Follow-Up Director Dr. Firas Morrar. The discussion focused on ongoing efforts to combating money laundering and terrorist financing in the State of Palestine in alignment with the Financial Action Task Force standards. Key developments included the submission of the National Strategy addressing the findings of the national risk assessment to the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine

The PA has done a lot to promote the optics of caring about terrorist money-laundering — they set up committees, claim to have submitted internal reports, and maintain communications with FATF and MENAFATF — but they have produced no visible evidence that they are monitoring or stopping terrorist money-laundering. They joined MENAFATF (the FATF-style regional body) in 2015, yet their mutual evaluation remains uncompleted and, according to FATF’s own site, the PA’s assessment date is still “to be determined."

Despite the fanfare, the public record is thin. The PMA’s press release claims that MENAFATF “adopted the technical compliance report” and that a “national risk assessment strategy” was submitted — but no full mutual evaluation report or independently published national risk-assessment is available on MENAFATF or FATF portals to verify those claims.

Not that they’ve been shy about using these bodies for their own ends. The PA submitted inputs to the FATF’s 2025 update that single out Jewish groups the PA designates as “terrorist organisations” and alleges those groups run agricultural and environmental enterprises as covers for funding:

“Groups designated as terrorist organisations at the domestic level by the Palestinian Authority, have reportedly established private enterprises involving livestock farming and the development of large-scale agricultural projects, such as fruit, vegetable, and palm tree plantations as means of funding.” — FATF, Comprehensive Update on Terrorist Financing Risks (2025).

Money flowing through NGOs or through PA channels to pay terrorists is effectively ignored in public MENAFATF/FATF outputs — yet the PA can get a paragraph in a global FATF report to name tiny Jewish settler groups as terrorist financing risks. That’s the inversion: international platforms used to amplify politically useful allegations while the PA’s own implementation and oversight remain opaque.

This fits a broader pattern of Palestinians joining international organizations or conventions to give them the appearance of legitimacy, but never executing on the requirements that these organizations demand from members, blaming Israel for the "delays." I have not once seen any of them submit any information about violations of any rules or laws under territory they control - which is what every nation is supposed to do in their reports.

There is also a documented problem of weak transparency and accountability in the Palestinian NGO and aid sector. Local watchdogs and anti-corruption organizations have repeatedly highlighted weak oversight, patronage and misuse of public funds, and insufficient reporting by NGOs and public bodies.

The bottom line is that the PA insists on membership without publication, promises without peer review, and inputs to international reports without reciprocal transparency at home. That is optics, not accountability.

(h/t Irene)