SUMMARY OF EVENTS IN THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY’S
ABDUCTION AND DETENTION OF JAWEED AL-GHUSSEIN FROM Abu Dhabi.
Background.
Mr. Al-Ghussein is a 75-year-old businessman who graduated from the American University in Cairo and built up a construction and engineering concern based with his family in Abu Dhabi since 1966. He is a well-known Palestinian recognized in the region for his advocacy of promoting peace and understanding through dialogue and was the co-founder of the Next Century Foundation a British NGO created specifically for promoting interaction between adversaries. With the co-operation of the Abu Dhabi authorities he was abducted by the Palestinian Authority and held hostage for 16 months in Gaza by the PA. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has investigated the detention of Mr. Al-Ghussein and ruled that the Palestinian Authority is violating Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a way that “manifestly cannot be justified on any legal basis.” In August 16 2002 after international pressure Mr Al-Ghussein was released and flown to the United Kingdom where he continues to reside with his family until his recent death 1 July 2008.
The Palestinian Authority accusation:
To help the Palestinian cause at a crucial time in 1984 he agreed to serve as an independent as Chairman of the Palestinian National Fund after he had been unanimously elected by the Palestinian National Council and became a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. During this period he reformed the PNF introducing a board of well-known trustees to ensure that monies were distributed correctly and the accounts were audited and ratified by the PNC yearly. Prior to his appointment Mr. Al-Ghussein was one of the leading Palestinian benefactors contributing to the education and health care of Palestinians in need. Financially independent of Arafat and the PLO, Mr Al-Ghussein repeatedly clashed with Arafat expressing his views publicly in favor of accountability and transparency particularly with donor funds from the West and Arab states.
After the Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait in august 1990, Mr. Al-Ghussein was the only member of the PLO’S executive committee to publicly denounce the aggression and this led a showdown with Arafat who was in total support of Saddam Hussein. This was exacerbated when Mr. Al Ghussein discovered that Arafat had received personally US Dollars 150 million from Saddams for his support. In 1996 Mr. Al-Ghussein felt he could no longer continue in his position while Arafat was resisting implementation. Of the Rule of Law and financial transparency. Mr Al Ghussein was the first Palestinian in public office to highlight the endemic corruption that was prevalent with Arafat and his ruling Fateh party.
