By NNN-KUNA,
Amman : Coordinator-General of Al-Aqsa Fund Al-Mansour Bin-Fetti has said that the biggest challenges facing the humanitarian activities of the fund in the Palestinian territories were red tape and the numerous roadblocks set up by the Israeli occupation authorities.
In an interview with KUNA here on the sidelines of the meeting of Arab donors to the fund Tuesday, he said: “Shortage of funds does not constitute a problem to the fund’s development projects in Palestine as the donors keep offering generous contributions to the Palestinian people through the fund.”
“The real problems are the red tape and the Israeli roadblocks across the Palestinian territories,” said Bin-Fetti who is also advisor to the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
“The removal of the roadblocks will definitely allow funds flow to infrastructure and development projects in Palestine,” he reasserted.
Meanwhile, he praised Kuwait for its constant support for the fund’s efforts to relieve the sufferings of the Palestinian people.
“The meeting of representatives of Arab donors to the fund aims to explore the ways to implement the development projects and meet the urgent needs of the Palestinian people.
“The Palestinians are in dire need of water, electricity, housing, health, schools and other infrastructure facilities. The donors to Palestine have to keep in constant contact to facilitate the implementation of the relevant projects,” he pointed out.
“There is a range of projects that got underway in cooperation with the IDB, the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development (AFSED), the Arab Economic Development Bank, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and other donors.
“The projects aim to shore up the Palestinian economy and help the vulnerable households get a living,” he added.
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are the major donors to the fund.
With a USD 1 billion capital, the fund was launched in line with a resolution of the Arab Summit held in Cairo in October 2000.