West Bank
The four main Middle East peace mediators have decided to release humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories. The U.S., European Union, United Nations, and Russia—known as the “Quartet”—said they would give the money directly to relief agencies, not to the government. Israel, which has opposed aid to a Hamas-led government, supported the new plan. “As far as we are concerned, the Quartet’s decision to give further humanitarian support to the Palestinian Authority, bypassing the Hamas government, is definitely okay,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Foreign aid makes up half the Palestinian Authority’s $2 billion annual budget. The U.S. and E.U. cut off their aid when Hamas, which has committed numerous terrorist acts and is sworn to the destruction of Israel, was elected in January.
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