clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

PA: Australia gave in to US, Israel pressure

July 3, 2018 at 12:29 pm

Humanitarian aid materials is seen in Gaza City, Gaza [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency]

Australia’s decision to halt aid to Palestinians came after America and Israel put pressure on it to do so, the Anadolu Agency reported a senior member of Fatah’s Executive Committee saying yesterday.

In a statement, Ahmed Majdalani said: “Australia halted its aid to the Palestinians as part of a campaign launched to smear the Palestinian leadership.”

He called for Australia to cancel its decision, which came in light of US President Donald Trump’s attempts to impose a political blockade on the Palestinian leadership in cooperation with Israel in order to force them to accept the “deal of the century”.

Majdalani said that assistance given to the “extremist” Israeli government, “which funds terror, supports settlement organisations and pays for extremist Israelis,” should be halted.

On Monday, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced that Canberra would halt  its 10 million Australian dollars ($7.4 million) of funding annually to the World Bank’s Palestinian Recovery and Development Trust Fund. She said funds will now be redirected to the United Nations’ Humanitarian Fund for the Palestinian Territories, which provides health care, food and water, and sanitation to vulnerable families but does not focus on development.

Read: Australia MP calls for halting payments to Palestinians