The U.K.'s Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, signed a “Memorandum of Understanding”, on Tuesday 12 December, with the U.N. agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, in which he pledged £76.6 million (US $150 million) to the agency over the next four years.
In a press release, UNRWA's commissioner-general, Karen Koning AbuZayd, thanked the U.K. government for its contribution. The press release adds that the U.K. has provided £122 million (US $240 million) to UNRWA since 2000.
The U.K. Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, is currently on a three-day visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. On Monday, he visited the West Bank city of Hebron where he toured the Old City and experienced first-hand some of the restrictive measures of the Israeli occupation.
On Tuesday, prior to signing the “Memorandum of Understanding” with the UNRWA commissioner-general in an UNRWA girls' school, in Qalandia refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, he toured the camp and visited a health centre and a family benefiting from UNRWA's Special Hardship Programme.
In an earlier statement, quoted in the press release from UNRWA, the Secretary of State said, "This new funding will help ensure that millions of Palestinians will get essential services like health care, education, housing, water and sanitation."
UNRWA Commissioner-General AbuZayd said in the statement: "UNRWA wishes to thank the British government for its generous contribution. It arrives at a time of unprecedented need among Palestine refugees, and this multi-year agreement will assist the Agency in its planning in the medium-term."
Later today, Tuesday, Benn is expected to meet with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in his headquarters in Ramallah. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet Israeli governmental officials in Jerusalem.
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com
Please also see:
Canada's withholding funds from Palestinians 'criminal': Carter
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/08/carter-israel.html
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
in the Near East http://www.unrwa.org
In a press release, UNRWA's commissioner-general, Karen Koning AbuZayd, thanked the U.K. government for its contribution. The press release adds that the U.K. has provided £122 million (US $240 million) to UNRWA since 2000.
The U.K. Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, is currently on a three-day visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. On Monday, he visited the West Bank city of Hebron where he toured the Old City and experienced first-hand some of the restrictive measures of the Israeli occupation.
On Tuesday, prior to signing the “Memorandum of Understanding” with the UNRWA commissioner-general in an UNRWA girls' school, in Qalandia refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, he toured the camp and visited a health centre and a family benefiting from UNRWA's Special Hardship Programme.
In an earlier statement, quoted in the press release from UNRWA, the Secretary of State said, "This new funding will help ensure that millions of Palestinians will get essential services like health care, education, housing, water and sanitation."
UNRWA Commissioner-General AbuZayd said in the statement: "UNRWA wishes to thank the British government for its generous contribution. It arrives at a time of unprecedented need among Palestine refugees, and this multi-year agreement will assist the Agency in its planning in the medium-term."
Later today, Tuesday, Benn is expected to meet with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in his headquarters in Ramallah. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet Israeli governmental officials in Jerusalem.
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com
Please also see:
Canada's withholding funds from Palestinians 'criminal': Carter
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/08/carter-israel.html
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
in the Near East http://www.unrwa.org