(Brigg and
Goole) (Con)
What steps she is taking to ensure that funding to the Palestinian
Authority is used to support her Department's objectives in that
region. [903056]
The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa ()
The UK remains determined to work for peace in the region, and
that means supporting a stable Palestinian Authority that can
deliver essential public services to Palestinians and act as an
effective partner for peace with Israel. In 2018-19, UK support
helped the Palestinian Authority provide education for 26,000
children, half of whom were girls, and deliver 3,000 more
immunisations and 111,000 medical consultations. I recently
announced £20 million in new funding to help Palestinian health
workers battle the coronavirus on the frontline.
Happy 50th birthday, Mr Speaker. [Interruption.] I’ll definitely
get called again.
There has been some excellent working between the Palestinian
Authority and Israel in response to covid. However, an
investigation has shown that groups funded by the OHCA—the UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs—and the World
Health Organisation have links to the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, which is a proscribed terrorist
organisation. Can the Minister assure me that no UK aid money has
been channelled in that way?
The UK has provided £840,000 to the WHO and UNICEF in response to
covid-19. We maintain robust measures to ensure that aid is not
diverted. We are determined to continue to play our responsible
part in cross-Government approaches to support the Palestinian
people and to work towards peace in the region.
