Finance Minister Shukri Bishara and the French Consul General in Jerusalem, René Troccaz, today signed an €8-million agreement to support the Palestinian 2020 budget, according to a statement by the Finance Ministry.
Under the agreement, France contributed €8 million towards funding the Palestinian National Development Plan and consolidation state institution building.
Bishara commended France for its integrated support for several vital sectors, such as: water, energy and the private sector, and noted that the French government offers soft loans and grants to support the development of private enterprises and the education sector in the occupied Palestinian territories.
He also praised France for its rejection of Israel’s illegal impending plan to apply Israeli sovereignty on the illegal settlements and to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
Troccaz affirmed that his country would continue to support the Palestinian budget in addition to various sectors, and emphasized the French government’s willingness to continue its efforts to develop the Palestinian economy.