Quartet urges donors to resume direct aid to Palestinian Authority

Posted on December 23rd, 2007 by Marian Houk

After the Paris Donor Meeting on 17 December, the Quartet (U.S., European Union, Russia, and the UN Secretary-General) issued a statement in which they urged donors to resume direct aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Direct aid was stopped in early 2006, after Hamas won a majority of seats in elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Now, six months after Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas kicked Hamas out of a National Unity Government (following a Hamas ouster of Fatah security forces in Gaza), donors have been given the green light to resume aid — to the PA. That means that Gaza will get very little help, as Israeli sanctions are tightening.

The Quartet said, in its statement, that they “commended the excellent work of the European Commission and the World Bank in establishing and managing the Temporary International Mechanism since June 2006. Now, with the establishment of a responsible Palestinian Authority Government committed to peace, the re-establishment of a functioning Palestinian Authority single treasury account, and in light of the excellent Palestinian Reform and Development Plan presented to donors in Paris, the Quartet urged donors to resume direct bilateral assistance to the Palestinian Authority. Principals endorsed a final extension of the Temporary International Mechanism until the end of March 2008 to allow sufficient time for donors to make this transition”.

Despite the practical impact of this decision, the Quartet nevertheless “reiterated its deep concern over the humanitarian conditions facing the population of the Gaza Strip and emphasized the importance of continued emergency and humanitarian assistance without obstruction. The Quartet called for the continued provision of essential services, including fuel and power supplies. It expressed its urgent concern over the continued closure of major crossing points, given the impact on the Palestinian economy and daily life. The Quartet encouraged contacts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to consider ideas such as Prime Minister Fayyad’s proposal for the Palestinian Authority to assume responsibility for the Palestinian side of the Gaza crossings in order to improve operations and oversight for the passage of goods and people”.

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