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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
EU to pledge $556 million in Palestinian aid
2009-03-01
Suckers.
BRUSSELS - The European Union's executive office said Friday it would pledge $556 million at an international donors' conference for Palestinians, including support for rebuilding Gaza. The pledge will be presented formally Monday in Egypt at the donors' meeting, which is to focus on gathering international aid to rebuild the Gaza Strip. Israel's three-week offensive there, which ended last month, caused widespread damage.

The executive's pledge is just part of the EU's total pledge to the Palestinians. The 27-member bloc's individual nations were expected to announce their own pledges at the conference. The EU as a whole is the largest donor to the Palestinians. EU officials said just over half the executive's pledge will go toward reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's external relations commissioner, said the priority of donors, including the EU, was to "adequately respond to the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza."

Aid will be targeted to what she called early recovery projects, such as removal of rubble and unexploded bombs left after Israel's offensive in the Hamas-controlled territory. The funding will also focus on a cash-for-work program and providing special care for children traumatized by the fighting, the commissioner said.
It's all 'for the children' ...
She added that the EU hoped the extra aid would lead to Israel agreeing to open more crossings into Gaza regularly and predictably, for the flow of humanitarian and commercial goods as well as people.

Remaining funds will also help back the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas.
Because that'll fix the problem, by gum, giving money to kleptos and hacks ...
The aid will be channeled through the United Nations and a special fund overseen by the World Bank to ensure reconstruction money does not end up in the hands of the Hamas. The fund bypasses Hamas, which is listed as a terror group by the 27-nation EU and the United States and is boycotted by major international aid donors.

Abbas is to request a total of $2.8 billion for Gaza at the donors' conference.
Posted by:Steve White

#4  Don't understand why anyone feels the urge to help Palestinians. If the urge is charitable, there are many more worthy recipients. Palestinians are truly unredeemable vermin. Feeding them allows them to continue to procreate at several times the rate of Europe and swell a population that cannot exist without external charity. Giving them money just exacerbates an already bad situation.
Posted by: rwv   2009-03-01 21:32  

#3  Who are the bigger suckers? The $556M or $900M sucker?
Posted by: ed   2009-03-01 16:15  

#2  Let Gaza or the Muslim countries rebuild Gaza themselves. They brought this on themselves by firing rockets into Israel.
Posted by: JohnQC   2009-03-01 15:21  

#1  Holocaust is ongoing project for Europe.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2009-03-01 02:09  

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