U.S. gives USD40 million to Palestinians
Immediate aid is on top of USD350 million pledged by Bush
RAMALLAH - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Monday the U.S. would transfer an immediate aid package of USD40 million to the Authority.
Rice said the administration would give the Palestinians USD40 million in immediate aid besides the USD350 million pledged by President George W. Bush during his State of the Union address.
According to the State Department, the aid will come from money set aside earlier for a seawater desalinization plant in Gaza. The funds had been frozen throughout the four years of the Intifada and can now quickly be re-allocated to other urgent uses.
Most of the amount will be allocated to training programs, communal services, youth programs, creating jobs and first aid. Part of the money will go to building the authority’s water infrastructure.
Money for housing, education, economy
The money would not go directly to the Palestinian Authority, but is set to be channeled through private relief and economic groups.
Rice said that some USD200 million of the USD350 million promised to the Palestinian Authority would be handed over immediately for a “quick action program.”
This amount would be used for constructing residential buildings in Gaza, for developing higher education and an economic infrastructure for the Palestinian state. The amount is also set to be used for improving social services and building efficient border crossings between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
An additional USD150 million would be included in the 2006 budget. The Palestinian Authority has received aid totaling USD75 million in recent years, which had been frozen throughout the four-year Intifada.
Meeting in Ramallah Monday
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