Palestinian Authority Funds Allegedly Reached MK Ayman Odeh for Public Activities

Palestinian sources have told i24NEWS that suspicions regarding the transfer of funds to Member of Knesset Ayman Odeh of the Joint List did not surprise them. These sources stated that the Palestinian Authority president is an "enthusiastic supporter" of Odeh's political activities and claimed Odeh received funds from the Palestinian Authority to advance social, public, and political initiatives. According to the sources, some of the money came from Palestinian businessmen abroad whom Abu Mazen asked to support Odeh's activities, even recently. Another portion allegedly originated from the Palestinian National Fund. The head of the fund, Dr. Ramzi Khoury, categorically denied these claims in a conversation with i24NEWS.

Israeli sources suggested that the money was actually delivered in envelopes from suspicious sources for political purposes and assessed that the Palestinian National Fund's involvement was entirely possible. Previously, it was reported that the Palestinian Authority had arranged a tender specifically for the establishment of studios owned by Odeh. The report follows an earlier publication by i24NEWS that MK Ayman Odeh is the senior politician being investigated for allegedly receiving hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash from a foreign entity.

Earlier this week, i24NEWS revealed that the head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, requested to investigate MKs Ahmad Tibi, Mansour Abbas, and Sami Abu Shehadeh without evidence. The Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara demanded evidence before authorizing such investigations, which has not yet been provided, except in the case of another MK whose name has been cleared for publication.