EU will increase financial assistance to the Palestinian administration
Dubravka Suica, a European Commission Commissioner for Mediterranean, said financial support will go hand in hand with the Palestinian authorities, which critics accuse of corruption and poor management.
« We want them to reform themselves because without a reform it will not be strong enough and credible enough to be an interlocutor, not only to us, but also to Israel, » Suica said.
The commissioner’s statement came ahead of the first « high -level political dialogue » between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the European Union and the high Palestinian officials, including Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, on Monday in Luxembourg.
The EU is the largest donor to Palestinians and EU officials hope that the Palestinian authorities, which operate the west coast, will also take responsibility for Gaza one day after the end of the war between Israel and the Hamas militants.
The Government of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has so far rejected the idea of surrendering Gaza to the Palestinian administration (PA) and avoided the wider goal of the EU on a two-state solution, which would include the establishment of the Palestinian state.
Suica said that € 620 million would go to financial support and reform, so, € 576 million to « resistance and recovery » of the West Coast and Gaza, and € 400 million will come in the form of loans from the European Investment Bank, subject to the approval of its administrative body.
She said the EU average support for the Palestinian administration amounted to around 400 million euros in the past 12 years.
« We are now investing in a credible way in the Palestinian administration, » Suica said.
