Palestine and Germany Sign Support Agreement for Development Programs in Palestine

SadaNews - The Palestinian government and the German government held their bilateral discussions on developmental cooperation. The Palestinian delegation was headed by the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Dr. Estephan Salama, while the German delegation was led by the Minister of State in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Niels Annen.

At the conclusion of the discussions, held under the auspices of Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa, both parties signed a cooperation protocol and a financial support package worth 158 million euros at the Prime Minister's office in Ramallah. This amount is allocated for the implementation of developmental programs and projects in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

Dr. Salama emphasized the importance of the Palestinian-German partnership, expressing his appreciation for the support provided by Germany for development in Palestine. He also stressed the necessity of providing humanitarian aid to our people in Gaza, on a large scale, and starting reconstruction efforts as soon as possible. He emphasized the need to stop settlers' violence and the expansion of settlements, and to compel Israel to release all withheld tax revenues, halt all types of deductions, renew the banking correspondence arrangements agreement, and resolve the problem of surplus cash, to enable the Palestinian government to continue providing essential services to its citizens.

For his part, Minister of State Niels Annen reaffirmed Germany's ongoing commitment to supporting development in Palestine and the reform program adopted by the Palestinian government.

During the talks, both sides reviewed the progress made within ongoing cooperation programs and agreed to identify priorities and areas for future partnership.

The 158 million euro package will be allocated to support programs in education and vocational training (TVET), reform and good governance, sustainable management of water resources (nexus), employment and economic resilience, agriculture, private sector development, and financial systems. This support of priority areas aims to strengthen institutions, expand job opportunities, and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth throughout Palestine.

Germany is considered one of the largest bilateral development partners for Palestine, with the current portfolio of its projects reaching approximately one billion euros (excluding humanitarian aid). In addition to its developmental support, it provides significant aid to UN agencies, Palestinian civil society, and the private sector.

The German discussion was attended by representatives from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Development Bank (KfW), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Foreign Office, and the Federal Physical-Technical Institute of Germany. Representatives from ten Palestinian government institutions also participated in the discussions.