EU appeals for global fund for Palestinians

Brussels: The EU proposed yesterday that the United States, Russia and the United Nations join it in creating a fund to funnel humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, bypassing their Hamas-led government whose rise to power has led international assistance to dry up.

The EU the largest aid donor for the Palestinians has prepared an emergency package of about $43 million (Dh158.24 million) for education and health care it would like to see disbursed through the proposed fund, said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

It would be jointly run by the EU, the US, Russia and the UN the quartet.

Ferrero-Waldner said it would enable the international community to continue not having direct contact with Hamas while ensuring that aid continues to flow to ease the lives of the Palestinian people.

The fund, she told reporters, "could be used maybe also by Arab and other donors. And even also by Israel," as there will be guarantees "aid does not go to Hamas."

EU officials said the fund would be jointly managed by donors through an international organisation such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund or the United Nations.

EU officials say at the moment, some $138 million (Dh507.84 million) in direct aid has been frozen.

Ferrero-Waldner left yesterday for Egypt to discuss the EU plan for an international aid fund with President Hosni Mubarak and senior members of his government. After that she will go to New York for a Quartet meeting this week.

She said the EU proposed no role for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the distribution of aid from the proposed fund but is keen to use him "as a liaison" to keep up pressure on the Hamas government to recognise Israel and renounce violence.

Meanwhile Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan will press the quartet to find ways to get funds to the Palestinian National Authority.

Diplomats from the three countries said their foreign ministers would push the case at a meeting on Tuesday in New York with members of the "quartet" of peace brokers.

Israeli air raid kills five Palestinians

An Israeli aircraft attacked a training camp used by Palestinian militants in Gaza City yesterday, killing five militants, including four relatives of a top commander, Palestinian officials said.

Palestinian officials said the dead men were training at a base used by the Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella group responsible for numerous rocket attacks against Israel.

The airstrike scattered body parts and left pools of blood in a field just metres away from the home of Moumtaz Dourghmush, the top militant commander in the resistance committees.

Dourghmush was not at the scene, but a brother and three cousins were among the dead, hospital officials said.