The United Kingdom plans to spend up to 349 million pounds ($557.8 million) over the next four years to help boost the economy and reduce poverty in the Palestinian territories.
The funding, according to the U.K. Department for International Development, is expected to provide primary education to more than 35,000 children, immunize nearly 30,000 children under 5 against measles, help generate 8,000 new jobs, especially for small and family-owned businesses, support women victims of violence, and cover direct payments to more than 215,000 people so they can purchase food, medicine and other basic items for their families as well as to support the local economy.
U.K. Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan and Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad signed the memorandum of understanding on the aid plan during the British official’s recent visit to the region.
“I’ve seen for myself how our work in the OPTs has already helped to tackle poverty, protect vulnerable people and make a real difference to the lives of thousands of Palestinians,” Duncan said, as quoted in a July 7 press release. “To enhance the prospects for peace in the region, it is vital that we continue to work with the Palestinian Authority and other partners to ensure any future state will be stable, well-run and an effective partner for peace. Our long term goal is a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, living alongside a secure and universally recognised Israel, based on the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem the future capital of both states, and a fair settlement for refugees.”
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