UAE aid crosses Dh1 billion

The UAE's contribution to the Palestinians since the formation of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in the mid-nineties crossed Dh1 billion in vital projects in the West Bank. The UAE via several Palestinian charities had sponsored the construction of many schools, mosques, hospitals and residential neighbourhoods in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. The residents of Jenin still remember with great gratitude the assistance they received in 2002 from the UAE which donated Dh100 million to rebuild the Jenin Camp which was almost destroyed during an Israeli incursion into Jenin that year. "The UAE's rebuilding of the Jenin Camp was one of the biggest humanitarian projects undertaken in the Palestinian Territories in years, where 435 families received new homes for their houses which were destroyed during the Israeli military operation," read a statement issued by the Jenin Governorate. "The UAE attitude is unforgettable and the name of the late Shaikh Zayed [Bin Sultan Al Nahyan] had been engraved in the minds and hearts of the Palestinians as much as it is engraved in the minds and hearts of his own UAE nation," the statement said. The Palestinians said the UAE had been a preferred destination for many Palestinian charities.