| www.gultimes.com |
 |
|
|
|
| $300mn UAE aid for Palestinians | |
|
|
|
|
| ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates yesterday said it has earmarked $300mn to aid the Palestinians under commitments it made at a donors conference held in December. UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan ordered the transfer of $50mn to the Palestinian Authority as part of pledges made during the conference which was held in Paris, WAM state news agency reported. Sheikh Khalifa also ordered the allocation of $250mn to fund several projects in the Palestinian territories, it added. A total of $7.7bn was pledged by donor countries during the conference which convened to agree a package of aid to stabilise the Palestinian economy and shore up peace efforts with Israel. Some $3.4bn of the pledges was to go to the Palestinians in 2008. In June, the UAE transferred $80mn in aid to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority. It was the largest donation since the US and European Union, the top donors to the Palestinians, imposed a financial boycott after the March 2006 rise to power of the Hamas movement, considered a “terror” group by the West. – AFP |
|
|
