Ramallah, West Bank – In a ceremony on November 5 at the Office of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, Finance Minister Shukri Bishara, U.S. Consul General Michael Ratney, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) West Bank and Gaza Mission Director Dave Harden announced $100 million in budget support for the Palestinian Authority (PA).

At the October 2014 Gaza Donors Conference in Cairo, Secretary of State John Kerry announced $414 million in U.S. assistance to the Palestinians which designated $212 million to be delivered through USAID.   Today’s transfer is part of this commitment and will be used to directly pay for fuel purchases and to support six hospitals in east Jerusalem, allowing them to continue to provide critical services to the public.          

Consul General Ratney noted that the U.S. government provides assistance “directly to the Palestinian people every year through a wide range of development projects and other programs, in close cooperation and coordination with the Palestinian Authority…  This money has helped build clinics, expand export opportunities, deliver health services, improve the efficiency of your ministries, and much, much more.”  “This commitment highlights the continued support of the American people to address the needs of the Palestinian people” added Dave Harden, USAID West Bank and Gaza Mission Director.  The United States has provided almost $1.4 billion in budget support in the last 20 years. 

The United States is the leading provider of bilateral development assistance to the Palestinians, having provided more than $4.7 billion since 1994 for programs in the areas of democracy and governance; education; health; and humanitarian assistance; private sector; and water resources and infrastructure.