The UK Government has provided £450 million in aid to the Palestinian people since 1993.  In December 07, the UK pledged up to £243 million to the Palestinian people over three years, making us the fourth largest donor to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Our support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) helps prepare Palestinians for statehood and help reinvigorate the desperately needed peace process.  The Department for International Development (DFID) administers this aid and is leading UK efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  Right now, getting humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza and rebuilding their lives after this devastating conflict is a top priority for DFID.

What are we doing to help in Gaza?
On 18 January, the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, announced an additional pledge of up to £20 million to help meet immediate needs in Gaza, bringing the UK’s total humanitarian response to the crisis to almost £27 million.  We are providing:

• £4 million for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which was set up in 1944 to provide basic services to Palestinian refugees across the region.  This money will help feed 550,000 people, provide shelter for those who have been displaced, provide cash assistance for up to 2,500 families and provide fuel to maintain essential public services.

• £4 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to carry out immediate work to save lives, such as providing medical treatment to the injured.  ICRC also plays a role in ensuring that aid given to Gaza gets through the border crossings.

• £1 million for the UN’s Humanitarian Emergency Response Fund.  This will enable the UN's local Humanitarian Coordinator to quickly allocate funds to organisations with staff on the ground, to meet immediate humanitarian needs.

• £1 million to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to coordinate the import of essential humanitarian supplies (such as food, blankets and medical supplies) into Gaza.  WFP talks to Israelis and Egyptians abut access for these items and ensures that supplies goes to those who need them.

Even before the current crisis, the UK provided substantial humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees throughout the region and in the OPTs.  In 2008, we provided:

• £19 million to UNRWA, as part of a total pledge of £100 million over five years.  UNRWA provides education, health and water and sanitation services for 4.6 million refugees throughout the Middle East region.  In Gaza, UNRWA provides food aid for at least 750,000 people, schooling for 200,000 children and health care for thousands through the 18 health centres they run.

• £23.5 million to help the Palestinian Authority deliver public services like health and education in Gaza and the West Bank.  Our money helps pay teachers, doctors and engineers.
 
• £2 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide water, sanitation, food, medicines and shelter.

Before the current crisis, the UK was already actively lobbying for improved access for aid agencies, people, and commercial goods into Gaza. Improving access to Gaza is critical to the current humanitarian effort and to revive the Gazan economy.  In the West Bank too, removing restrictions on movement and access is needed for the economy to grow and people to live a life in dignity. The UK continues to be diplomatically active on all these issues and is also supporting the Quartet Representative to lobby for improved access across the OPTs.

How are we helping Palestinians prepare for Statehood?
DFID’s aid to Palestinians is part of a wider aim of creating a Palestinian state so that Palestinians can live in peace alongside Israel.  We are helping:

• The Palestinian Authority deliver public services like health and education and be a credible and well-prepared partner in peace negotiations with Israel;

• The Palestinian economy grow stronger by providing grants for Palestinian companies sell their products in new markets and be more competitive.  In December last year, the UK hosted a major conference bringing together the Palestinian, British and Arab business communities to discuss investment opportunities;

• The Palestinian security forces make the streets safer for Palestinians living in, for example, in Nablus, Herbon and Jenin.

What is the UK Government doing to promote Peace and Justice?
All our aid to Palestinians is contributing to the peace process, alongside diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting and viable peace.  Working with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office we are supporting:

• The production of a Palestinian television programme to promote peaceful resolution of differences;
• A project that will monitor water pollution and reduce tension over water-resources;
• Awareness-raising of human rights violations in Hebron;
• A project that will highlight Israeli human rights abuses in Gaza and use legal assistance, litigation, advocacy and media work to combat restrictive measures taken against Gaza residents to travel and receive goods;
• Legal assistance to individual and institutions revealing and challenging military policies that violate human rights in Gaza.

If you would like further information about what DFID is doing in the OPTs, you can find up to date information on the crisis and our response on the DFID website: www.dfid.gov.uk

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