The European Union (EU) has offered to give the Palestinian Authority (PA) €24.5 million ($27 million) to pay the August salaries and pensions of about 56,000 civil servants in the West Bank.
In a statement, Safa news agency reported, acting EU Representative Thomas Nicholson said: “We are aware of the deep and complicated fiscal crisis the Palestinian Authority is facing and the potential human, social and security consequences.â€
“We hope that the economic and financial deals between Israel and the PA continue to be fully active, including the obligations made by the Paris Protocol,†he added, referring to the 1994 agreement which established interim economic relations between Israel and the PA.
Nicholson continued: “The PA institutions offer healthcare, education and security for millions of Palestinians. This must be the interest of all parties.â€
He reiterated that the EU would continue to offer financial support for the PA in order to guarantee its fiscal sustainability and protect its ability to build Palestinian institutions.
The Secretary General of the PA Council of Ministers, Amjad Ghanim, has signed an agreement with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Palestine, Guo Wei, for the implementation of $15 million’s worth of projects in Palestine.
After signing the agreement at the headquarters of the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers on Thursday, Ghanim said that the first stage of the grant will be used to help school students and the poor. He thanked China for the grant it has provided at this time.
The Secretary General added that the grant comes in the context of a broad Palestinian-Chinese partnership. “This is not the first project and will not be the last presented by our partners, the Chinese government, which has a long history of supporting our Palestinian people for decades in all fields, including development and relief.â€
He explained that the grants include a basket of aid exceeding $15 million, as well as many projects and initiatives in the fields of healthcare, entrepreneurship, youth, women and children’s support, relief in marginalised areas, education, technical learning, and training for Palestinian government staff.
He explained that the nature of the projects was agreed with the Chinese partners in line with the government’s strategy, which it has launched to ensure economic disengagement from Israel’s occupation, strengthen national production and improve the quality of services. ■