Awad: “Reconstruction Donations Never Reached Gaza”

Thursday February 18, 2010 01:47 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Dr. Mohammad Awad, secretary-general of the Council of Ministers at the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, stated that the promised Arab and international aid donations, allocated for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, never made it to the coastal region.

Awad issued a statement revealing that the government planned a number of development projects in an effort to elevate the suffering of the residents in the devastated region, and added that Israel’s siege hindered the projects.

He further stated that the government is faithful and committed to the wellbeing of the people, and tries to provide them with the basic needs such as salaries, extending relief work, periodic assistance for needy families, and countering monopoly,

Awad further stated that the call for municipal elections made by the Ramallah government while internal divisions are still ongoing will lead to results that are not credible, and described the called as “politically motivated”.

Awad: We didn’t receive a penny of Arab and international donations to Gaza

 [ 17/02/2010 - 04:17 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Dr. Mohammed Awad, the secretary-general of the PA council of ministers in Gaza Strip, asserted on Wednesday that not a single penny of the international and Arab donations allocated to rebuild Gaza Strip had reached the Strip.

In a press release, Awad said that the PA government in Gaza planned many development projects in the Strip with the aim to alleviate the suffering of the people there but, he pointed out, the Israeli siege on Gaza hindered all those projects.

But despite the siege and the big challenges, he added, the PA government remained faithful to its people and tried everything to help them cope up with the basic needs of life, including providing salaries regularly, fighting monopoly, and extending relief and periodical assistance to the needy people.

He also explained the PA government under premier Ismail Haneyya planned to expand the cabinet for two purposes, the first to broaden the participation of private sectors, and the second to alleviate the burden on the incumbent ministers as many of them assume the responsibility of two portfolios, describing the expansion of the cabinet as a "priority" to the PA government.

But he deprecated the Ramallah authority for calling for municipal elections while the Palestinian political rift is still not solved, stressing that no election process of any kind would be credible without national harmony, describing the Ramallah step as "politically motivated".