International donors pledge $5.4bn for Palestinians

PanARMENIAN.Net - International donors have pledged $5.4bn for the Palestinians at a conference in Cairo, BBC News reports.

The total, announced by the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Boerge Brende, exceeded the $4bn the Palestinian Authority had asked for.

Half the sum would be "dedicated" to work in Gaza, he said, without specifying a use for the other half.

At least 100,000 Gazans lost their homes in the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas earlier this year. Much of the territory's infrastructure was damaged.

Earlier, the Palestinian and Egyptian presidents called on Israel to commit to a long-term peace initiative. Mahmoud Abbas and Abdul Fattah al-Sisi urged Israel to give up land seized in the 1967 Middle East war and accept a fair solution for Palestinian refugees in exchange for full recognition.

The seven-week Gaza conflict, which ended in a truce on Aug 26, killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the UN says, along with 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel.

Speaking at a news conference, Brende said half of the $5.4bn promised would be dedicated to reconstruction, and the assistance would be distributed in response to the daily needs of Palestinians.

"This is a major breakthrough, a very important signal of solidarity to the Palestinian people in general and not at least to the people that are suffering so badly in Gaza," he said.

Envoys from dozens of countries attended the Cairo conference, which was hosted by Egypt's President Sisi.

Qatar alone promised $1bn. The U.S. pledged $212mln in new aid, while the United Arab Emirates and Turkey both committed $200mln.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said donations from member states would reach $568mln.

Israel was not invited to the conference but Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman earlier said any rebuilding efforts would need his government's consent.

"You can't reconstruct Gaza without Israeli participation and without Israeli co-operation," he said.