EU to pay $10m towards Palestine elections

Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas (R) signs the decree for holding parliamentary, presidential elections on 22 May and 31 July, in Ramallah, West Bank on 15 January 2021 [Palestinian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency]

EU spokesman Shady Othman has revealed that the bloc is to pay €7,000 ($10 million) towards the Palestinian elections and is willing to take part in monitoring them, Felesteen newspaper reported yesterday.

The EU, Othman said, had received an official invitation to monitor the elections as it had done during the 2006 polls.

He noted that the EU’s monitoring mission in 2006 was the largest international monitoring team and it produced a detailed report about the elections and raised its recommendations to Brussels.

In addition to this, he said, the EU is studying the prospects of funding a gas pipeline for the only electricity plant in the Gaza Strip, pointing out that there are teams on the ground working on the preparation for the project. This is in an effort to find a solution to the electricity crisis facing the besieged enclave.

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