EU to avoid Hamas dealings but aid Palestinians

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EU to avoid Hamas dealings but aid Palestinians
By Daniel Dombey in London
Published: May 22 2006 03:00 | Last updated: May 22 2006 03:00

Palestinian doctors, teachers and even pensioners could soon receive millions of euros in funding under European Union plans to stave off a humanitarian and political crisis in the occupied territories.


The proposals, seen by the Financial Times, devise a way for the EU and other donors to provide money for the Palestinians' humanitarian and social needs while circumventing Hamas, the ruling party, which the EU and the US classify as a terrorist group.

The plans, drawn up by the European Commission, are to be put into action over the next two months. Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority president, warned last week that the occupied territories faced a new cycle of violence if international aid to the administration was not resumed.

The EU plans flesh out the idea of a new "mechanism" to fund the Palestinians without giving direct aid to the PA itself - an idea backed this month by the EU, Russia, the United Nations and, with some misgivings, the US.
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http://news.ft.com/cms/s/f21315f0-e92e-11da-b110-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=d4f2ab60-c98e-11d7-81c6-0820abe49a01.html