MIDDELE EAST: As Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh took up his appointment as Palestinian premier-designate, the head of the movement's politburo, Khaled Mishaal, said Iran would play a growing role in Palestinian affairs.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran yesterday, Mr Mishaal stated bluntly: "Iran's role in the future of Palestine should continue and increase." He also said the Palestinians would make up for shortfalls in funding "through cordial assistance from the Arab and Islamic world".
Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki observed that Iran would work through the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to guarantee an annual aid package for the Palestinians. According to Malaysian premier Abdullah Badawi, the OIC is already preparing such a package.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged Islamic countries to provide the Palestinians with funds to compensate for transfers already frozen by Israel, and assistance which could be cut by the US and EU if the new Hamas-led government maintains its refusal to recognise Israel, end armed struggle and accept previous Palestinian commitments.
The Palestinian Authority needs $110 million (€92 million) a month in budgetary support, mainly to pay salaries to its 140,000 employees, 58,000 of whom are policemen and security officials required to keep order.
Of this, $50 million comes from customs duties and taxes collected by Israel on behalf of the authority, some is from direct taxes, and the rest comes from EU donations.
On Monday the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas's parent organisation which has branches in 86 countries, launched a campaign to raise money for the authority.
Arab foreign ministers also met in Algiers to discuss giving $50 million in aid a month. This sum was laid down by the 2002 Arab summit but only $761 million has been paid.
The Arab summit due to meet in March in Khartoum could renew the pledge and exert pressure on governments to deliver.
Arab non-governmental groups, which have already given $1.9 billion in financial and material aid, are likely to step up their assistance.
Western groups could follow the example of Sweden's official International Development Co-operation Agency, which has pledged $6.4 million to UN aid programmes in the Palestinian territories.
Before setting off on her current tour of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice warned: "I would hope that any state that is considering funding a Hamas-led government would think about the implications for the Middle East and the Middle East peace process."
But regional analysts contend that starving the Palestinian Authority of funds could cause it to collapse, leaving a political and security vacuum and boosting the influence of Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.