EU to provide $13m to Palestinians in need

The European Union today announced that it would be sending €12.3 million ($13.4 million) to the Palestinian Authority’s social allowances programme to benefit poor Palestinian families living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Ma’an news reported.

The contribution is the final portion of a €50 million ($54.5 million) pledge made by the EU in 2015 for the cash transfer programme of the Palestinian Ministry of Social Affairs.

The EU said in a statement that it and its member states had contributed 40 per cent of the programme’s funds.

“The steady deterioration of the socio-economic conditions in Palestine is a matter of concern,” EU representative Ralph Tarraf said. “One out of four Palestinians live in poverty. The situation is worse in Gaza, with an estimated poverty rate of almost 40 per cent.”

“The national cash transfer programme plays an essential role in helping households in need to attain a minimally acceptable standard of living,” he added. “We are committed to continue our support to social protection.”

An estimated 121,000 Palestinian households, two thirds of them in the besieged Gaza Strip, are reportedly enrolled in the programme.

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