The emir of Qatar will announce the establishment of a special fund to help Palestinians counter “the plans to Judaize Jerusalem” at the Arab League summit in Doha on Tuesday, according to local media.
Speaking from his capital city, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani will reportedly commit a large sum of money to the cause and call on Arab states – especially in the Persian Gulf – to chip in. The fund will be managed by an Islamic investment bank and is expected to attract around $1 billion.
Palestinian Authority officials are skeptical, noting the Arab League has made and broken generous promises in the past, including one to provide their government with a financial safety net.
"We hope this time the decisions will be implemented in full," a senior Palestinian official told Haaretz.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will attend the 24th meeting of the league, leading a small delegation representing Palestine. But Palestinian issues will likely be overshadowed by Syria and its representation at the summit, which is at the top of the agenda.
A few weeks ago, the Arab League foreign ministers approved a proposal to give Syria’s seat to the Syrian National Coalition, the main group opposed to the regime of President Bashar Assad.
The presence at the summit of new democratically elected leaders from Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen will be conspicuous, as will the absence of Assad.
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