Monday, August 22, 2011

EU pledges 115 million euros in aid for Palestinian territories

Brussels - The European Union announced Monday a 115-million-euro (165-million-dollar) aid package for the occupied Palestinian territories, including funding for the United Nations agency which operates in the Gaza strip.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) is set to receive some 40 million euros. The EU has no official presence in Gaza since it was taken over by Hamas, listed as a terrorist organization by the bloc.

A further share of aid worth 22 million euros is meant for water sanitation, while the rest of the EU's money is expected to provide support for the Palestinian economy and institution-building projects.

'This support shows clearly the EU's standing commitment to the two-state solution,' EU neighbourhood policy commissioner Stefan Fule said in a statement.

The EU's decision came a few weeks ahead of the Palestinian Authority's planned move to ask the United Nations General Assembly to recognize the Palestinian territories as a sovereign state - which is opposed by the United States and is expected to split the EU.



Monsters and Critics

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