Through the Cooperation Italy donated €7 million to the neediest Palestinian families, the latest addition to a 20 million-euro intervention launched in late 2008 on behalf of the poorest segments of the society.
Aid for the neediest Palestinian families was launched on Saturday 26 March through "Pegase", a financial mechanism set up by the European Union as a form of direct support for the PNA budget.
This contribution bears witness to the Italian government's pursuance of the investment strategies recently launched by the Italian Cooperation and that, between 2008 and 2010 placed Italy first among European Commission partners for aid to poor Palestinian families.
Among the many authorities present at the initiative were Consul General in Jerusalem Luciano Pezzotti and head of the European Commission delegation to Jerusalem Christian Berger
"With this contribution", Consul Pezzotti pointed out, "Italy brings to €27 million its total financing over the past 3 years, confirming our commitment to the social protection of the Palestinians. In 2006, as Director of the Division for the Mediterranean and Middle East, I participated in meetings in Brussels for the establishment of PEGASE. I was later witness to the birth of this programme for families in need, and am here in support of the launch of this new phase of payments".