On this day—October 13, 2013
A leaked European Court of Auditors report found the Palestinian Authority had squandered nearly €2 billion in EU aid between 2008 and 2012 through corruption and mismanagement with almost no meaningful oversight.
Thirteen years later, nothing has changed. Mahmoud Abbas, elected in 2005 for a four-year term that ended in 2009, just postponed elections … AGAIN. No legislative vote has been held since 2006. He continues to rule by decree while his own people have long viewed his institutions as corrupt.
Western funding continues anyway. The EU remains the PA’s largest donor, with multi-year packages reaching €1.6 billion. The U.S. State Department reported the PA distributed roughly $156 million in 2025 to terrorists and their families.The European Commission itself publicly regretted a recent payment due to the ongoing “pay-for-slay” scheme.
This is not a peace partner. This is not a government of any people but themselves. The PA is a kleptocracy sustained by Western checks. The 2013 audit was a warning. The decade and a half since has been the refusal to act on it.