WEST BANK: U.S. pledges 150 million U.S. Dollar aid to Palestinian Authority

Record ID: 559875

  • Title: WEST BANK: U.S. pledges 150 million U.S. Dollar aid to Palestinian Authority
  • Date: 11th November 2010
  • Summary: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 10, 2010) (REUTERS) PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER SALAM FAYYAD ARRIVING FOR VIDEO CONFERENCE U.S. FLAG U.S. CONSUL GENERAL IN JERUSALEM DANIEL RUBINSTEIN HANDING AID AGREEMENT TO FAYYAD CAMERAMEN VARIOUS OF FAYYAD HOLDING VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH U.S SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON NEWS CREWS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER SALAM FAYYAD, SAYING: "This donation is part of the financial support which we need, but we also need political support. I'm saying this as a result of 17 years of Oslo agreement and failure of the political process which did not bring the end of the occupation and the declaration of a Palestinian state." NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 26th November 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Palestinian Territory, Occupied
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAATC6JV9RLI9UQ18LLNMXLXY8Q
  • Story Text: The United States has pledged an additional 150 million dollars to the Palestinian Authority, the U.S. Secretary of State announced on Wednesday (November 10).
    The announcement by Hillary Clinton comes as Washington seeks to boost the fledgling government amid an impasse in peace talks with Israel.
    Clinton made the pledge during a joint video conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who has been scrambling to fill a huge projected budget hole as his government expands services in expectation of full eventual statehood.
    "This donation is part of the financial support which we need, but we also need political support. I'm saying this as a result of 17 years of Oslo agreement and failure of the political process which did not bring the end of the occupation and the declaration of a Palestinian state," Fayyad told reporters in Ramallah after the video conference.
    The slow arrival of funds, especially from Arab states, has forced the Palestinian prime minister to take austerity measures. In September, he said he needed around 500 million dollars this year to cover official salaries and infrastructure projects.
    The U.S. pledge comes as Washington pushes both the Palestinians and Israel to resume peace talks, which have fallen into limbo following Israel's decision not to extend a moratorium on new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank - land the Palestinians contest should be part of their new state.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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