Palestinian FM of Gaza Government, Mohammed Awad, Denies USAID Freeze of Operations

Gaza foreign minister denies USAID froze operations in the Strip

[ 13/08/2011 - 11:26 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Planning of the Gaza Government, Mohammed Awad, has denied media reports that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has frozen operations of the institutions it funds in the Gaza Strip.

“Reports that the American agency has frozen its operations in the Strip are just media news not reported to the foreign ministry,” Awad said in a statement.

“Delegates from the agency have been met with, and it has been agreed with them to develop a framework clarifying the mechanisms of action in the management of the institutions in a way that conforms with Palestinian law and controls the functioning of these institutions in Gaza,” Awad said.

He also said that the government in Gaza would administer a workshop where foreign institutions operating in the Strip would be invited for further explanation and to take into account several observations to be spoken about.

In response to statements that Hamas was trying to enforce its political agendas on the work of the USAID funded institutions, Awad said: “The matter is not political. But there are mechanisms according to Palestinian law stating [this] clearly, and USAID has no problem with this.”

He pointed out that the Palestinian law tries to control the operations of foreign institutions inside the Gaza Strip, a matter that would be fully discussed during the workshop.

USAID Threatens To Stop Funding Projects In Gaza

Saturday August 13, 2011 04:59 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

A source at the US Department of State stated that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would stop funding all projects in the Gaza Strip should the Hamas movement implement its decision to enforce direct supervision on all international institutions operating in Gaza.

Israeli and international media agencies reported Friday that the USAID will stop funding all projects and organizations unless Hamas voids its decision.

The USAID is demanding that international organizations operating in Gaza should not be subject to observation and monitoring by any group, especially the Hamas movement and its dissolved government in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Planning at the dissolved Hamas-led government in Gaza, Mohammad Awad, denied any crisis with any nonprofit organizations, especially the USAID.

Awad told the Maan News Agency that a workshop will be held with all nonprofit organizations in order to get to know their aims, and the types of projects they carry.

He added that most of the nonprofit institutions in the Gaza Strip are running humanitarian projects and services.

The United States and Israel dub the Hamas movement as a terrorist group. A few international humanitarian organizations, mainly the UNRWA, are operating in Gaza and are, so far, not subject to direct observation by the Hamas-led government in the coastal region.

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