EU, NL Share €11 Million For Palestinian Workers

On Friday, the European Union (EU) and the Netherlands granted around €10.9 million to last month's income and pensions of almost 75,000 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, according to the EU press release.

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With their donation, the Ministry of Finance was able to pay salaries on August 1, ahead of the start of the conclusion of Ramadan on Thursday.

The press release also cited that the European Commission gave away €10 million and the Netherlands paid €0.9 million allocated for the justice sector’s wages.

Furthermore, the Netherlands contributed another €1.5 million to the salaries of over 18,000 staff of the Palestinian civil police and civil defense, including fire-fighters and rescue workers.

“This latest contribution of the European Union to the salaries and pensions of civil servants working for the Palestinian Authority comes against a background of positive momentum in the peace process with the launch of direct negotiations in Washington,” European Union Representative John Gatt-Rutter said.

“The EU reiterates its solid support for the Palestinian Authority and its achievements to-date,” he said, adding, “The contribution from the Government of the Netherlands is particularly welcome as it targets the rule of law sector, an area where the Palestinian Authority has made significant progress.”

Source: WAFA