Fatah official calls for greater European role in Palestine

Senior Fatah official Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday urged Europe to play a greater role in Palestine while the US is distracted by its elections. Shtayyeh urged Europe to fill a political and material vacuum after a meeting in Ramallah with Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Uri Rosenthal. He urged Europe to rebuke Israel for "closing all doors" to peace, and called on Holland in particular to utilize its good relations with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Fatah leader also briefed the Dutch officials on the economic crisis faced by the Palestinian Authority, which he said was caused by the Ramallah government's lack of liquid cash, its dependence on Israel and a decline in international aid. The PA economy is dependent on Israeli border controls and movement restrictions inside the West Bank. Israel collects PA taxes and has refused to hand over the revenue as punishment for reconciling with Hamas and for joining a UN cultural agency.