MIDDLE EAST:The Government is to provide €11.4 million in aid to Palestinian refugees over the next three years, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern announced yesterday on a visit to Camp Aida, a Palestinian refugee enclave in Bethlehem.
The funds will be provided to the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) which looks after the day-to-day needs of over four million Palestinian refugees spread throughout the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
A sum of €3.8 million will be donated this year, representing an increase of 27 per cent on last year's figure. There is "a commitment to the same level of funding in 2008 and 2009", amounting to a total of €11.4 million and it is highly unlikely that any alternative government would seek to change that decision.
The Minister made the announcement after a visit to a girls' school in Camp Aida where the pupils sit three-to-a-desk and the hunger for education is such that classes are held in two shifts per day to cope with the numbers.
"I'm from Ireland," Mr Ahern said. "Do you know where Ireland is?" Alluding to the internal political divisions among the Palestinians, he told the assembled teenagers: "At the end of the day, you need a government here which will work with the international community." Seeking to draw a lesson from the Irish situation, he said: "We struggled for years and years and years with a big neighbour, Britain, but today, we are at peace with them."
Accompanied by the UNRWA commissioner general, Karen Abu Zayd, the Minister made his way to the roof of the school where he was able to view the "Wall" or "Separation Barrier" built by the Israeli government.
Afterwards, Mr Ahern raised the issue of the barrier at a 1½ hour working lunch with Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni.
It is understood the Minister said that, back home, he lived five miles from the Border with Northern Ireland and that there was a time when certain elements (ie, hardline unionists) wanted to build a wall between the two parts of the island but, thankfully, this had never happened.
It is understood that Ms Livni said the Israeli barrier was needed as a defensive security measure but was not necessarily permanent and could be taken down in the right circumstances.
Mr Ahern said it was the experience of his Government in the Irish peace process that a military approach ultimately failed.
On bilateral relations, Ms Livni reportedly expressed surprise that, although Ireland's economy was booming, the level of trade with Israel had fallen.
The Irish delegation disputed this assessment but agreed it was an issue that could be examined further.
Afterwards Mr Ahern met relatives of Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who have been missing since their unit was attacked by Hizbullah at the Lebanese border on July 12th.
Later last night, Mr Ahern was due to meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.