$650M Pledged to Palestine

In an effort to save Palestine from economic ruin and help push for an internationally recognized Palestinian state, the EU pledged $650 million in 2008. The aid will hopefully help save Gaza, cited as "close to catastrophe," by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The U.S. pledged $555 million for 2008, but the aid awaits approval by Congress. We at the PCR Project applaud the international community's quest to aid the ailing Palestinians, but we reassert our reccomendations in both our "Catastrophes" report and "A Perilous Course,"--aid must be accountable and spread to all levels of the population in order for lasting reconstruction to take place. (Susiya, Palestine: Children with family possessions Photo by Flickr user delayed gratification used under a Creative Commons license.)