By Xinhua
Canberra : Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on Wednesday announced that Australia will provide 7 million Australian dollars (5.9 million U.S. dollars) to support the emergency Palestinian Government and in humanitarian funding for refugees in Gaza and Lebanon.
    The 4 million dollars (3.39 million U.S. dollars) to the emergency Palestinian Government will assist in providing essential supplies for the Palestinian Authority's health and education institutions to keep hospitals open and children in school, Downer said.
    "Australia supports Palestinian Authority President Abbas's decision to form an emergency government with Mr Salam Fayyad as Prime Minister following the violent Hamas takeover of Gaza," Downer, who is in the Middle East, said in a statement released on his official website.
    "The formation of the emergency government presents a valuable opportunity to revive the peace process and ensure that the actions of violent extremists do not derail the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people," he added.
    "I welcome the comments of Israeli Prime Minister Olmert that the emergency government would be regarded as a partner for peace," he said.
    Australia will continue to engage with the emergency Palestinian Government to promote the cause of peace and provide humanitarian assistance, said the foreign minister.
    Meanwhile, Downer said Australia remains deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza, following the recent violence.
    Australia will provide a further 2 million dollars (1.69 million U.S. dollars) in immediate assistance for the Palestiniansin Gaza, and 1 million dollars (846,700 U.S. dollars) to assist in meeting the humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
    These new commitments will take Australia's total contribution to Palestinians affected by the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and in surrounding countries to 23.2 million dollars (19.64 million U.S. dollars) since July 2006.