(IsraelNN.com) While Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continued to huddle with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on a joint statement of principles in time for the U.S.-sponsored Mideast summit November 26, a Fatah activist issued a public “thank you” to Abbas and his government for their largesse in providing ongoing financial support for the families of terrorists.

Intisar Al-Wazir, known more popularly among PA Arabs as “Um Jihad,” thanked Abbas this week on behalf of the numerous organizations providing financial aid to support imprisoned terrorists, wounded terrorists and the families of dead terrorists.

While funding for the terrorists and their families was temporarily held up in July and August, said Um Jihad, Abbas and his ministers promptly dealt with the problem, sending money to the families this week.

Abbas's Proxy Fundraiser for PA Terrorist Families
The 66-year-old Um Jihad was the first female member of Fatah, joining the group in 1959 and establishing herself through the years as one of the most prominent women in the PA.

The “mother of the fight” – the meaning of her Arabic nom de guerre - was elected in 1995 to the Palestinian Legislative Council, also serving as the Minister of Social Affairs. She became the PA Minister for Social Welfare in 2003. 

Um Jihad is the widow of a prominent terrorist. Her husband, Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad), was a close associate of the late PLO Chairman and arch terrorist Yasser Arafat. Al-Wazir was also the co-founder of Fatah and leader of the first intifada. He was tracked down in 1988 and eliminated by Israeli agents at his home in Tunisia. 

Abbas Also Busy on Behalf of Terrorists in Lebanon
Abbas has also been working hard to continue support for Palestinian terrorists in Lebanon, albeit indirectly.  A committee established by the PA Chairman is slated to hold a fundraising drive Friday on PA television for the northern Lebanese town of Nahr el-Bared. 

Home to approximately 30,000 Arabs claiming descent from those who fled Israel during the War of Independence, the town has become a stronghold of the Fatah al-Islam terrorist organization.  Nahr el-Barad was decimated this summer when the Lebanese Army battled to eliminate the terrorist group from its population. Fierce fighting by local terrorists who hid among the civilian population while firing at soldiers led to the deaths of hundreds of people on both sides.  Lebanese government forces succeeded in significantly reducing the number of terrorists operating from the town, although they were unable to root them out completely. 

Dire Poverty in Gaza
A survey carried out last week in Gaza shows that 47% of Gazan residents were considering leaving Gaza because of the economic situation.  Nearly 70% live under the poverty line, 57% say they do not have enough food, and 41% of the population lives in "abject poverty."  The poll also found that 82% of the population believe the economy has deteriorated since the Hamas takeover of Gaza this past June.

Drying Up Hamas Funding
As part of his continuing war against Hamas, the Abbas-Fatah regime has initiated a series of steps to "dry up" Hamas funding sources.  Senior Fatah members told the Al-Hayat newspaper that Hamas often uses charity donations as a cover for receiving monies from abroad, and especially from the Persian Gulf states.  Hamas also receives most of its cash via tunnels under the Egyptian-Gazan border.