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Quartet envoy to the Mideast Tony Blair. (Tess Scheflan / Jini) Last update - 23:30 08/07/2008 EU, Blair: Checkpoints, Gaza blockade hindering Palestinian aid effort By Reuters Tags: Aid, Palestinians, Tony Blair  The European Union, Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair and France on Tuesday criticized Israel's checkpoints in the West Bank and blockade of Gaza as preventing an economic recovery there and limiting the impact of international aid. An international donors' conference in December pledged more than $7 billion in aid to the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to try to reinforce its authority as it tries to negotiate a peace deal with Israel in U.S.-backed talks. After a regular follow-up meeting on Monday to monitor the aid effort, Blair, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and European Union External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the international effort's impact would be limited if Israel's roadblocks remained in place. Advertisement "Restrictions by the government of Israel on Palestinian movement and access continue to weigh heavily on the economic outlook," the officials said in a statement issued overnight. "Without a significant lifting of such barriers in the West Bank, and a relaxation of the restrictions on humanitarian and commercial flows to the Gaza Strip ... any economic recovery will continue to be inhibited," they said. Several states, the World Bank and the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators represented by Blair said in December Israel had to lift the checkpoints that criss-cross the West Bank if it wanted the aid to make a big difference. Under a truce brokered between Israel and Hamas by Egypt on June 19, militants in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip are required to halt rocket and mortar fire in return for Israel gradually lifting a blockade of the coastal territory. There had been "some progress" on a package of measures agreed with Israel on economic and social development, lifting restrictions on movement and developing areas of the West Bank, Blair and the other officials said, but more needed to be done. "Israel should make the full and rapid implementation of the package it agreed to a high priority," they said. Donors pledged to pay $3.4 billion in aid in 2008. In the first six months of the year, $920 million of direct budgetary aid had been paid to Abbas' Palestinian Authority, and donors had signed agreements for e1 billion in development projects. The officials also faulted some countries for not paying money that had been pledged at the donors' conference. "The priority over the coming months will be to secure contributions of Arab League members. These will be crucial to finance the budgetary gap and to support the Palestinian institutions," they said, without naming individual countries. Arab nations pledged 20 percent of the $7.7 billion promised at the donors' conference, the final pledge list showed. Related articles: Tony Blair: Israel agrees to ease West Bank restrictions Peace Now: Israel does not need so many checkpoints in W. Bank Blair: Int'l aid would flow into Gaza if political change occured Bookmark to del.icio.us   By the numbers A study shows Jewish Israeli men live almost four years longer than Israeli Arabs. Local threat The Shin Bet arrests two Bedouin, accused of supplying information to al-Qaida.   1.   It`s such a pity all these Qassams don`t fall on London! 22:13  |  Absolute Sweden 08/07/08   2.   Lip Service 22:16  |  Cool B 08/07/08   3.   Checkpoints,blockade...hindering? QASSAMS, mortars ... murdering! 22:41  |  Vittorio 08/07/08   4.   no economic recovery 22:47  |  real vision 08/07/08   5.   The brits have already surrendered to islamofascism, so? 23:04  |  Arie 08/07/08   6.   Here`s an idea 23:05  |  Arie 08/07/08   7.   Aid and hindering checkpoints 23:14  |  Marc 08/07/08   8.   They dont want them to recover! 23:15  |  Guy From NYC 08/07/08   9.   Israel is the real terrorist state 23:18  |  European 08/07/08   10.   Vittorio...Palestinians are prisoners..they 23:19  |  KMS 08/07/08   11.   %5...The Problem is Judeo-fascism, not Islam 23:22  |  Iraqi Jew 08/07/08   12.   Blair is right 23:29  |  Dave Duncan 08/07/08   13.   Yesterday and today 23:30  |  RM 08/07/08   14.   Bliar-There are already big exports of steel piping from Gaza 23:44  |  Alan SA 08/07/08   15.   EU should shut up and just wait when the missiles 23:49  |  JP 08/07/08   16.   #4 Real Vision, the blind one 23:54  |  ballistic 08/07/08   17.   #3 Say Vittorio 23:55  |  ballistic 08/07/08   18.   Shopowners #13 RM 00:03  |  Marc 09/07/08   19.   French and British losers 00:24  |  Secular 09/07/08   20.   Arie # 5 - Typical Muslim Bullshit 00:34  |  WYSIWYG 09/07/08   21.   live and let live! 00:38  |  bashar 09/07/08   22.   #8 Guy from NYC - And What Happens When.... 00:38  |  WYSIWYG 09/07/08   23.   European # 9 - GET A CLUE 00:40  |  WYSIWYG 09/07/08   24.   one third of israeli children live in poverty 00:42  |  Great White North 09/07/08   25.   Iraqi # 11 - Islam is a World Problem 00:43  |  WYSIWYG 09/07/08   26.   Dave Duncan # 11 - Easy for you to say 00:47  |  WYSIWYG 09/07/08   27.   Who do you think you are? 00:52  |  Le-el 09/07/08   28.   to the european 00:55  |  Le-el 09/07/08   29.   Of course "Palestinians" have cynically 00:59  |  Scharker Yid 09/07/08   30.   NO to Blair`s CRAP 01:07  |  Brod 09/07/08   31.   Bla, bla, bla 01:13  |  X 09/07/08   32.   So, arab brothers are not paying up, but Israel is hindering? 01:16  |  Massoud Levy 09/07/08   33.   Blockades haven`t hampered Rocketry Developement 01:20  |  Slappy 09/07/08   34.   #12 - Palestinians arent an ethnic groupd 01:31  |  Slappy 09/07/08   35.   EU needs to boycott Israel to force compliance 01:32  |  Chanalau, Tova 09/07/08   36.   Talk the talk or walk the walk 01:56  |  allang 09/07/08   37.   #10 KM aSS 02:35  |  judith 09/07/08   38.   EU, Blair: Checkpoints, Gaza blockade hindering Palestinian aid e 02:50  |  zev 09/07/08   39.   No, wrong caption - should be read: EU aid effort. 02:57  |  17 09/07/08   40.   This has been known for decades, Mr. Blair 03:03  |  Maki 09/07/08   41.   what economy? and with all the money invested by Hamas and FAtah 03:03  |  r 09/07/08   42.   confiscate $1B to fortify sderot 04:11  |  vik 09/07/08   43.   #8 Good GUY of NYC, Agree with you. 14:36  |  Brendan 09/07/08   44.   11#.Iraqi Jew. AMEN 14:46  |  David Ruben Garcia 09/07/08   45.   #12 Dave . Blair is surely right 14:52  |  Samuel 09/07/08   46.   MAYBE BLAIR WOULD LIKE TO GO SPEND A FEW NIGHTS IN GAZA AND HEAR 01:30  |  glenna 10/07/08

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