Bethlehem /PNN/ 

Germany today pledged EUR €125 million in support of vital projects in Palestine over the period 2023-2024.

The Palestinian and German delegation signed a protocol of cooperation on the financial package of €125 million in support of the implementation of development projects in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem at the conclusion of the annual Palestinian-German government consultations in Berlin.

The Palestinian delegation that engaged in the consultations was led by Advisor to the Prime Minister for Planning and Aid Coordination, Estephan Salameh, and the German delegation was led by Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Niels Annen.

Salameh commenced the consultations by conveying the greetings of Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh to the German side, while affirming keenness to enhancing cooperation with the German government at all levels and appreciating the German government’s keen interest in maintaining such consultations and ensuring that German-funded projects are aligned with Palestine’s development needs.

The projects to be targeted fall within several sectors, including water and wastewater, local government, employment, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in addition to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).  

Among the participants in the consultations from the German side were a large number of the staff of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, officials from the KfW Development Bank, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and a representative of the German Federal Foreign Office.