Norway has said that it would give $20 million in aid to the Palestinians as well as explore ways to offer direct assistance to the office of the Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas.
"With the (Palestinian Authority) president's guidance we were able to start reviewing a number of projects for Norwegian funding worth approximately $20 million within the health and education sectors as well as for energy supplies," Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told reporters after talks in Oslo with Abbas on Tuesday.
"We've also discussed with President Abbas, as head of the Palestinian Authority, the possible role of his office in channelling humanitarian and other assistance to institutions directly under his supervision," Stoltenberg said.
Unlike the European Union, which suspended aid earlier this month, Norway did not formally stop its assistance, though no aid was previously scheduled to be delivered in the period following the Hamas election victory.
But Norway has nonetheless insisted that any future direct "budgetary aid" would be conditional on moves by the Hamas government to recognise Israel and renounce its armed struggle.
"It is now of great importance to avoid a further worsening of the humanitarian situation for the Palestinian people. We will continue our aid through the United Nations and Norwegian non-governmental organisations," Stoltenberg said.
{{/usCountry}}"It is now of great importance to avoid a further worsening of the humanitarian situation for the Palestinian people. We will continue our aid through the United Nations and Norwegian non-governmental organisations," Stoltenberg said.
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