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Last update - 14:04 28/01/2008 EU foreign ministers to meet Monday to revamp Palestinian aid plan By The Associated Press Tags: European Union, Gaza, aid  The European Union plans to revamp its massive annual aid for Palestinians from next month to make it fit better with the economic reform program of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. EU foreign ministers on Monday are expected to discuss the plan which aims to focus European aid on sustainable, long-term economic development and invite other donors, especially Arab states, to pitch in. EU aid in recent years has totaled some $700 million annually. The plan stems from last month's Paris donors conference, where Fayyad's government received pledges of U$7.7 billion over three years. Advertisement If adopted, the new three-year plan will, from March 31, replace a temporary scheme that paid cash directly to destitute Palestinians when regular foreign aid dried up after the stridently anti-Israel Hamas government came to power in 2006. Those payments will continue through the Fayyad government. The World Bank-monitored, ad-hoc scheme bypasses the Hamas movement, a terrorist organization in the EU's eyes, which today runs the Gaza Strip, leaving the rival Fatah government led by Fayyad in the West Bank. The Fayyad government's program stresses good governance, economic and social development and improved roads and other infrastructure. Diplomats said the EU will provide practical aid to boost the Palestinian police force and help reform health, education and the judiciary. Also on offer is yet unspecified assistance to stoke economic growth while continuing humanitarian aid to both the West Bank and Gaza. While it continues to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in the form of fuel or social allowances for unpaid civil servants or poor Palestinians, the 27-nation EU will maintain its boycott of Hamas. Until 2006, annual aid to the Palestinians from the EU budget and EU member states amounted to about $500 million. The emergence of the Hamas government that year and the subsequent violence in which the Fatah movement was banished from Gaza aggravated the humanitarian crisis, resulting in a jump in EU aid of about 50 percent in 2006 and 2007. The EU central budget has earmarked $440 million for the Palestinians this year, which will be supplemented by individual donations from EU member nations Bookmark to del.icio.us   Officer convicted A military court convicts an IDF officer who led troops in a West Bank rampage. A different Anne Frank A Dutch Jewish condemns the distribution of a postcard of Anne Frank wearing kaffiyeh.   1.   EU aid to Fayyad Government 08:57  |  Reid 28/01/08   2.   Abbas TV Broadcasts Daily Call For Ethnic Cleansing of Jews 09:08  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08   3.   EU Paying Jizya in submission to Wahabism 09:12  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08   4.   Pointless, it will be bombed as soon as built 09:48  |  Candida 28/01/08   5.   10% of EU "humanitarian" aid to PA should be diverted to Sderot 10:08  |  Dr. L. Brnd 28/01/08   6.   Kapoo Olmert , Livni and Gangs Are Saying to the World 11:13  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08   7.   Realism, humanism and politics. 11:20  |  Harold Lane 28/01/08   8.   #7 harold stays in the wrong lane ! 11:44  |  v hardman 28/01/08   9.   Fayyad was the organiser of the Karine A weapons boat 12:31  |  Alan 28/01/08   10.   ALL THAT AID MONEY FOR WHAT? 14:58  |  Petra 28/01/08

Today Online Bradley Burston: What if the Hillary haters were right all along? Responses: 35 Source: Jerusalem issue to be left for last in peace talks Responses: 53 IAF wounds 4 Hamas men in strike on armored car in Gaza Responses: 28 Officials: Israel won't let Gaza breach threaten security Responses: 60 Haaretz TV: Lavish Israeli Bat Mitzvahs - when excess is best Responses: 15 Rosner's Domain Two days before the Florida primary, Rudy seeks solace in football The best Jewish date (What To Read) McCain using support for Israel to court Jews - and Christians Poll: How important is Israel in the 2008 election? More Headlines 15:21 Bolton: Rice caved to French truce demands in 2006 war 14:31 Hamas, Egypt cooperate in resealing Gaza border 14:02 Source: Jerusalem will be the final topic on peace talk agenda 11:33 Israel said planning to apologize to ex-Beatles for '65 concert ban 12:10 Reservists freeze campaign against PM ahead of war report 15:19 Report: Chief Rabbi says move Gazans to a Palestine in Sinai 14:29 Germany's Green Party uses cat resembling Hitler to slam far-rightists 14:22 High court rejects Omri Sharon's appeal, sends him off to prison 12:23 Zionism in the Holocaust: Lodz Ghetto Jew dreams of statehood 13:53 Jerusalem braces for snow as cold spell claims 6th victim 14:16 Peres: I understand Arab sentiment on closing of October riots case 11:15 Iran says it is close to resuming ties with Egypt cut in 1979 14:07 Report: Barak met secretly with Pakistan's Musharraf last week Previous Editions Select Day 27 jan 25 jan 24 jan 23 jan 22 jan 21 jan 20 jan 18 jan 17 jan 16 jan 15 jan 14 jan

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