EU, Finland, Italy provide $18.6m to East Jerusalem hospitals

The European Union, Finland and Italy donate €17 million ($18.6 million) to the Palestinian Authority (PA), supporting the payment of medical referrals to East Jerusalem hospitals, the Office of the EU Representative said yesterday.

According to the body’s statement, €13 million ($14.2 million) is funded by the EU, €1 million ($1.1 million) by Italy and €3 million ($3.3 million) by Finland and planned to start in June.

“The European Union and its Member States are committed to supporting East Jerusalem Hospitals amid the Covid-19 crisis and its severe health, social and economic implications. We work hand in hand with the Palestinian Authority to sustain and maintain access to medical services by all Palestinians,” said the European Union Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff.

The East Jerusalem hospitals are among the few Palestinian institutions still working in the city.

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According to Arab members of the Israeli Knesset, East Jerusalem hospitals need $7 million to deal with the coronavirus, Arab News reported last month.

Last month, the EU, Austria and Spain also supported the PA’s Ministry of Social Development and its Cash Transfer Programme, which is responsible for the provision of basic social protection to the most vulnerable families in the West Bank and Gaza.

The European Union contributed €12.5 million ($13.7 million) and Austria and Spain €1 million with approximately 114,000 vulnerable Palestinian families benefiting from that scheme.

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