UK FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE PALESTINIANS
Headline figure
In December 2007 the UK pledged up to
£243 million to the Occupied Palestinian Territories
over three years.
Emergency aid to Gaza 2009
The UK response to the conflict in Gaza is nearly
£47 million, some of which was allocated
to emergency aid and some of which is for recovery. Some examples of where UK money
has made an impact:
Oxfam: distributed more than 43 million litres of drinking water to more than 63,000
people. Repaired the water network, improving sanitation for more than 100,000 people.
World Food Programme: distributed two-month rations to over 365,000 people.
UNRWA: helped up to 1 million people with food assistance. 164 counsellors in schools
provide psychosocial support to children.
ICRC: delivered basic relief packages to 10,000 families.
Mines Advisory Group: cleared unexploded ordnance (UXO) from all UNRWA
schools, allowing 220,000 children to return to school.
Handicap International is supporting 7 mobile teams, which provide home visits to the
injured and disabled, and has opened three new treatment centres in Gaza.
The Welfare Association has completed more than 1,000 medical home visits and 2,000
home physiotherapy sessions to support the rehabilitation of nearly 1000 people.
Islamic Relief provided hygiene kits, blankets, kitchen sets, emergency gas lighting, and
baby kits to 500 families. They have given psychological support to
1200 children.
Long-term financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority
Over the last year we have provided over
£50m to the Palestinian Authority to help stabilise
its finances, pay salaries for up to 77,000 Palestinian Authority workers and deliver essential
services such as healthcare and education.
Support for Palestinian refugees
We have committed to give
£100 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency for
Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East over 5 years.
Action against illegal Israeli settlements and the demolition of Palestinian homes
We believe that continued construction of illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian
territories constitutes a major obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We
will continue to support organisations which monitor construction activity in illegal
settlements and outposts, and this year we will provide
£100,000 for a project to produce
reliable information about the situation on the ground.
The UK is providing
£450,000 over 4 years to support projects in East Jerusalem and the
West Bank that help Palestinians better understand and effectively use the Israeli planning
laws, in order to gain planning permission - both retrospectively for existing homes and
prospectively for new homes on their side of the Green Line. Gaining retrospective
planning permission legalises homes and so protects them from demolition. Over the past
two years this has saved over 300 homes from demolition.
This list is not exhaustive, but does highlight the broad range of UK support. Updated June 2009.
Support for the Palestinian security forces
Over a 3 year period from 2008/09 to 2010/11 the UK plans to give approximately
£6.5m
to help build capacity within the Palestinian Security Forces. We are continuing our
support for the British Support Team, who work closely with the US Security Co-
ordinator. Based in Ramallah, the BST supports the development of a Palestinian
National Security force and plays a key role in helping to improve security.
Our support is part of a wider effort aimed at restructuring the Palestinian security sector,
the results of which have so far been impressive. In June 2007 14.6% of people in Jenin
and 17.6% of people in Nablus said they felt safe; by September 2008 this had risen to
61.2% in Jenin and 42.2% in Nablus [Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research].
Support for the Palestinian economy
On 15 December 2008 the Prime Minister said that “establishing a viable Palestinian state
with a stable economy and a flourishing private sector is a crucial part of the Peace Process.”
The UK is working hard to bolster the Palestinian economy. Some examples of UK activity:
In December 2008 the UK hosted the
London Business Forum on Trade and
Investment with Palestine, bringing together 60 Palestinian and over 100 UK business
delegates. Several commercial announcements were made: the establishment of the
Palestinian-British Business Council to help promote trade between the UK and the
OPTs; a franchise agreement worth $25 million to build a new hotel in Ramallah; a $50
million Enterprise Revitalisation Fund for Palestinian businesses which will help 5-10
underperforming Palestinian businesses each year. Following the forum, Google has
visited the West Bank to explore the potential for IT development and trade missions
from the construction, tourism and supermarket sector are planned.
The UK and the World Bank launched the
Facility for New Market Development
(FNMD) on July 2008 to help Palestinian businesses diversify and gain access to new
markets. It now has 187 clients, including 28 in Gaza. It has enabled 4 businesses to
export for the first time, opened 15 new markets to Palestinian products, and created 37
new jobs. The plans of 31 businesses supported by FNMD have resulted in incremental
sales of over USD 1 million (USD 747,400 sales in international markets and USD
351,619 in local markets).
Support for Palestinian human rights and quality of life
This year we will continue to support
Breaking the Silence, an organisation which aims to
raise awareness amongst Israeli society about the reality of the impact of the Israeli
occupation, for their work in Hebron and surrounding areas.
We fund many smaller projects across the OPTs, designed to improve educational
opportunities for Palestinian children, improve town centres, improve medical facilities
and promote human rights. For example: a 2008 summer camp in the Amary Refugee
Camp, designed to increase the self-confidence of about 100 children.
This list is not exhaustive, but does highlight the broad range of UK support. Updated June 2009.
