Some $242 million was pledged to the Palestinian Authority at a conference in Berlin.
Representatives of some 40 nations attended Tuesday’s event devoted to planning for an independent Palestinian state.
The money will be used to improve the quality of life for Palestinians, as well as retraining up to 7,000 Palestinian civilian police officers and improving the judicial system. According to reports, the Palestinian Authority had requested about $190 million through 2010.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier hosted the Conference in Support of Palestinian Civil Security and the Rule of Law. Some 20 foreign ministers took part.
Germany pledged $23 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority through 2011.
Merkel said a future two-state solution depended on a stable Palestinian state governed by the rule of law.
“Police and the justice system really must work hand in hand,” she said, adding that Hamas will remain isolated until it recognizes Israel’s right to exist and ceases its attacks on the country. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni emphasized that the rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip must be stopped. She added that Israel’s “neighbor is not a terrorist state, but a responsible partner in the peace process.” Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad demanded that Israel stop building settlements in contested areas.
“Palestinians must be able to see a future and sense freedom,” he said. Berlin was on high security Tuesday with the arrival of conference participants that also included Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashir, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and European Union Mideast envoy Tony Blair.
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