PA announces aid package to Palestinians in Jordan Valley
After the meeting, the Palestinians held a rally to protest the annexation plan, the second of its kind this week.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHSenior Fatah official Mohammed Shtayyeh gestures during a Palestinian leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the West Bank February 20, 2019(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)
As part of its efforts to foil Israel’s intention to extend its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority announced on Wednesday an assistance package for Palestinians living or working in the Jordan Valley.The aid package was announced by PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh after a joint meeting of the PLO Executive Committee, the Fatah Central Council and the Palestinian cabinet in the Jordan Valley village of Fasayil.After the meeting, the Palestinians held a rally to protest the annexation plan, the second of its kind this week.Shtayyeh pledged to cover Palestinian farmers’ debts to the PA government, provide loans to investors working in the area, raise the salary of PA employees living in the Jordan Valley and build three new schools there.The PA government will allocate water wells that will pump three and half million cubic meters of water for the benefit of farmers, as well as purchase five tractors for agricultural organizations operating in the Jordan Valley, Shtayyeh said.The aid package includes creating job opportunities for Palestinians who work in Jewish settlements, initiating infrastructure projects at a cost of NIS 11.5 million in all of the villages in the Jordan Valley, offering a 75% discount in construction permits for anyone who wants to build a new house there and granting 30 scholarships for students majoring in medicine or agricultural engineering, he said.“We are no strangers to the Palestinian [Jordan] Valley,” Shtayyeh said. “It is the vegetable basket of Palestine. It has 250,000 palm trees and contains 30% of the West Bank’s water.”The Palestinians are determined to prevent Israel from proceeding with its plan to extend its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley, he said.“We won’t give the [Jordan] Valley to the occupation,” Shtayyeh said. “All the countries of the world are united in their opposition to the annexation.”
