EU sets aside €60 million to aid Palestinians after Gaza pullout – WPF press release

EU sets aside 60 million euros to aid Palestinians after Gaza pullout

The European Union's executive commission will target more than a fifth of this year's 280 million euro (345 million dollar) aid package for the Palestinians to projects in the Gaza Strip following Israel's pullout, it said Wednesday

"We are currently preparing a package of a sum of 60 million euros of assistance for after the withdrawal," EU foreign affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner was quoted as saying by a spokeswoman.

The aid, details of which remain to be hammered out, is aimed at building and rehabilitating infrastructure and strengthening Palestinian institutions after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, which is scheduled to begin on August 17.

"I hope to see intensified cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians," Ferrero-Waldner said, stressing that "the (European) Commission fully supports the withdrawal as an important first step."

"We need to stress however this is not the end of a story but one significant chapter on the way to a fair and comprehensive peace settlement" for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, she said.

Ferrero-Waldner said that the success of international support for the pullout would depend on "a significant improvement of the security and access situation, and of course a good coordination of the funding".

"We really look to the Palestinians to make real progress in combating terrorism. … At the same time, Israel should provide guaranteed access for the delivery of our assistance," she said.

The commission had offered "to coordinate all the EU donor effort" including that from individual member states, she added.