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Region | Palestinian Territories

Israel and the West may ease sanctions to boost Abbas

The United States, European states and Israel are considering quickly easing sanctions in the occupied West Bank in an attempt to reinforce Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Western and Israeli officials said on Friday.

Agencies
Published: 23:38 May 3, 2009

Jerusalem: The United States, European states and Israel are considering quickly easing sanctions in the occupied West Bank in an attempt to reinforce Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Western and Israeli officials said on Friday.

A senior European Union diplomat involved in the discussions said Abbas "has strongly requested that we (the EU) support him fully. I think we would generally support this idea, in which form I cannot tell you."

A senior Israeli official said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US President George W. Bush would discuss at a meeting next week a series of "gestures" that could be taken quickly, including the release to Abbas of a portion of the Palestinian Authority's tax revenues being withheld by Israel.

Western donors led by the United States cut off direct financial aid to the Palestinian Authority in March 2006 after Hamas defeated Abbas's Fatah faction in parliamentary elections.