Palestinian Welcomes Outcomes of Donors Conference.. Norway Provides New Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority

SadaNews - The Norwegian government announced on Friday that it has decided to contribute 40 million Norwegian kroner (4 million dollars) to support the Palestinian Authority.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that a group of countries providing financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority has agreed on an emergency package to increase support.

Among the supporting countries for the initiative, named "International Emergency Coalition to Support the Financing of the Palestinian Authority," were Saudi Arabia, Spain, Britain, Japan, and France.

The amount of funding to be raised by the initiative was not immediately clear, while Saudi Arabia has announced a contribution of 90 million dollars.

The Palestinian government welcomed the outcomes of the donors' meeting held in New York on Thursday evening, chaired by Norway, which represented an international consensus to politically and financially support the State of Palestine, and to reject Israel's unilateral policies, particularly the ongoing detention of Palestinian tax revenues.

The government appreciated the announcement by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to launch the International Emergency Coalition to financially support the Palestinian Authority, with several international partners, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's support of 90 million dollars, in addition to contributions from Spain amounting to 50 million dollars and Germany contributing 30 million euros, with expectations that contributions from other countries will follow.

The Palestinian government called on various friendly countries to provide their contributions as soon as possible, to enable it to fulfill its obligations, especially in light of the suffocating Israeli financial blockade and attempts to undermine the Palestinian economy.

In his speech before representatives of dozens of participating countries in the donors' conference, along with the participation of Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Dr. Steefan Salama, Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa emphasized the necessity of obligating Israel to fully release the Palestinian tax revenues it is holding, end all illegal deductions, and invite friendly countries to join the Saudi-Norwegian-Spanish-French initiative to provide an emergency support package for the budget of no less than 200 million dollars per month for six months, ensuring the continued operation of Palestinian state institutions and enabling it to fulfill its duties in providing health and educational services, maintaining security and order, and strengthening the resilience of our people in the face of the comprehensive Israeli war against them.

Mustafa provided a comprehensive briefing to those gathered in New York via video link from his office in Ramallah, which included an explanation of the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and the government's recovery plans upon the cessation of aggression, alongside warning against annexation plans in the West Bank, settler assaults, and occupation measures to undermine the work of our national institutions, as well as the government’s procedures and executive plans for reform and institutional development.

It is noteworthy that the proceedings of the donors' conference and interventions from all countries included a decisive rejection of Israel's policies of withholding Palestinian tax revenues, its attempts to suffocate the Palestinian economy and undermine the work of Palestinian state institutions, rejection of annexation and displacement schemes, and affirmation of support for the State of Palestine and its efforts to unify national institutions in the West Bank and Gaza, alongside support and praise for the reform steps announced by the president and the government’s reform program.