Commission ponders Palestine aid

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 15/06/06

The European Commission and member states are considering allocating EUR 50-60 million in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people because of fears that negotiations on an international mechanism for delivering assistance are faltering.

The EU pressed to get the backing of other Quartet members - the US, UN and Russia - in early May, but it is still unclear which countries will use the mechanism or how it would work.

The Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, has taken the lead in devising the project. According to officials, he has warned that the situation is deteriorating in the Palestinian territories while discussions continue on how to set up the mechanism.

The Commission hopes that the mechanism will be ready by the end of June. But as officials say that this timetable now looks unattainable, member states are considering releasing EUR 50-60m in aid to the Palestinian people from an EU emergency reserve.

"We have tried to stay away from humanitarian aid because you can do that without the mechanism," said one diplomat involved in the discussions, "but if the humanitarian situation gets bad we will just deliver it [outside the mechanism]."

"As this goes on the humanitarian crisis is spreading, there is a fear that the mechanism could become obsolete."

One non-EU diplomat said that little progress had been made since the Commission circulated a draft proposal on the mechanism two weeks ago.

"There are many countries that would still like to see more detail about how the mechanism would work," he said.

But one diplomat from an EU member state complained that the Quartet members had received enough information to take a decision on the mechanism.

Another EU diplomat said that the key point of contention remained the payment of salaries and 'allowances' to public servants.

Nevertheless, EU government leaders will try to endorse the mechanism during a meeting which begins today (15 June). They are expected to outline a plan to "focus on essential supplies and running costs for social services and health, supplies of utilities including fuel and social allowances".

There is still some distance between the EU, and the US and Israel, who are asking how the mechanism will ensure that no money goes to terrorists and that there is no contact with Hamas. But one EU diplomat said that some contacts with Hamas will be necessary, albeit at a technical level. "You can't just drive by a hospital and throw supplies over the wall," he said.

Some have speculated that the US is waiting to see if domestic pressure on Hamas forces them to meet international demands to recognise Israel and to commit themselves to non- violence.

But in Brussels there is increasing concern over the possibility of the Palestinian Authority collapsing or conflict between Fatah and Hamas - the two main political factions - descending into a civil war.

President Mahmoud Abbas, a key figure in Fatah, has called a referendum to see if Palestinians support a two-state solution for 26 July, bringing him into direct conflict with Hamas.

Diplomats this week described that decision as "high-risk", fearing that if Abbas loses he will have to resign and the Palestinian Authority will collapse causing chaos.

Article reports that the European Commission and EU Member States were considering allocating €50-60 million in humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people because of fears that negotiations on an international mechanism for delivering assistance were faltering.

EEAS: Countries: Israel http://www.eeas.europa.eu/israel/index_en.htm

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