JEDDAH, 5 January 2003 — The Islamic Development Bank said yesterday that it was trying to raise $30 million to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, whose livelihoods have been shattered by the continuing Israeli occupation.
IDB President Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ali said he has agreed with Jirar Al-Qudwa, head of the Palestinian National Authority’s finance monitoring committee, that there is a need to launch the program, to which the IDB would contribute $12 million.
Another $11 million will come from Al-Aqsa Fund, a $1 billion fund set up by Arab leaders two years ago to help the Palestinians survive economic strangulation.
The balance of $7 million will be generated from other sources which Dr. Ali did not disclose.
The program calls for providing $20 million in urgent assistance to Palestinian municipalities and village councils in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip to enable them provide basic services such as water and electricity. About $6 million will be spent on repairing homes and other property destroyed by the occupation forces, especially in refugee camps. Besides, $4 million will be allocated for food and medical supplies and to support small-scale projects with the aim of reviving the economy.
A team of representatives from various PA ministries and municipal and rural councils will oversee the implementation of the project in cooperation with the Jeddah-based IDB.
