Donor nations pledging aid to the Palestinians are ready to put nearly €900 million on the table for Gaza's reconstruction, the European Commission announced Monday, though officials said the funds still hinge on conditions being met on the ground.
Gaza City © Mena Today
Donor nations pledging aid to the Palestinians are ready to put nearly €900 million on the table for Gaza's reconstruction, the European Commission announced Monday, though officials said the funds still hinge on conditions being met on the ground.
"We will present the initial package today of almost 900 million euros or one billion dollars," said Dubravka Suica, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean, ahead of the donor meeting in Brussels. "We now need the conditions on the ground that will allow the support to reach the people in Gaza."
Dubbed the "Team Gaza Initiative," the package brings together the European Commission, 12 EU member states, including Spain, Germany, France and Italy, along with Japan, Switzerland, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank. The funds, which include money already pledged to Gaza, would go toward clearing rubble left by Israel's military offensive and rebuilding basic services such as water, sanitation and health systems.
Around 65 delegations are taking part in the donor conference, one of whose main goals is to assess progress on reforms undertaken by the Palestinian Authority.
The EU and the Authority have agreed on a reform program tied to the two-state solution Brussels supports, aimed at significantly improving budget management and public spending, fighting corruption, and strengthening public governance.
Greece's parliament lifted the immunity of one of the country's former European Commissioners on Thursday, clearing the way for further action by authorities investigating the "Qatargate" corruption case, one of the biggest scandals to hit the EU.
The Houthi capture of ground overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has dealt Saudi Arabia its gravest setback in Yemen in years, exposing intelligence failures, the collapse of Yemeni allies and the limits of U.S. protection.
Saudi warplanes pounded Yemen, the Houthis said on Wednesday, as the Iran-backed fighters solidified their gains after a lightning advance that has extended Tehran's reach in the Middle East war and further disrupted global oil supplies.
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