[AP/Jerusalem Post] The EU said Wednesday it was giving $816 million in aid to benefit 160,000 Palestinian families this year in a program that bypasses the Hamas-led government. The fund offers a $339 monthly allowance to poorer Palestinian families, pensioners, and civic workers whose paychecks disappeared when international donors halted direct aid payments after the militant Hamas group won Palestinian elections. "Despite direct aid to the Palestinian Authority having been suspended...the EU's contribution remains high, higher than in an average year," EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said. "We are talking about quite a large amount of money."
2006-10-13 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive