Belgium pledges $77m to Palestine

President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas (L) shakes hands with Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel (R) in Brussels, Belgium on 23 January 2018 [Palestinian Presidency/Anadolu Agency]

Belgium has pledged to donate €70 million ($77 million) as part of a five-year funding agreement with Palestine to support projects in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as Jerusalem, Wafa has reported.

The money will be spent on education, vocational training, job opportunities for young people and the consolidation of entrepreneurship issues. Other fields, including infrastructure projects, will also be assisted.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, who signed the agreement today with Belgian Consul General Wilfried Pfeffer in occupied Jerusalem, described the programme as a message of support to preserve the two-state solution. He praised Belgium for the funding, which he said will address priority issues across the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

The Belgian consul noted that this programme is being coordinated in cooperation with the PA and its priorities, as part of its efforts to strengthen and build upon partnerships. In a region rife with conflicts, and now battling the health and socio-economic impacts of Covid-19, such funding is vital for some degree of regional stability.

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