AID WINDFALL FOR PALIS

World Powers Gather in Paris to Bankroll Palestinian State
Major powers and key donors meet in Paris Monday for a one-day conference aimed at raising billions of dollars to help the emergence of a viable Palestinian state and give political impetus to the newly-relaunched peace process with Israel. The Middle East Quartet is expected to meet on the sidelines of the conference. (AFP/Yahoo)

Global donors pledge 7.4 bln dlrs for Palestinians
PARIS (AFP) - International donors pledged 7.4 billion dollars to the Palestinians Monday at a conference described by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the “last hope” to save their government from bankruptcy. Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad had formally asked donors meeting in Paris for 5.6 billion dollars by 2010 to help fulfil his plan to develop a viable economy for a future state. “The real winner is the Palestinian state,” French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told AFP.

US to pledge 550 million dollars to Palestinians: Rice delegation
PARIS (AFP) - The United States will pledge 550 million dollars (382 million euros) to the Palestinians in 2008 as part of international efforts to help them build a viable state, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's delegation said Sunday. Rice will announce the pledge Monday in Paris at a conference aimed at raising billions of dollars for the emergence of a Palestinian state and giving political impetus to the newly relaunched peace process with Israel.

See also Saudis' $1.4B Support for Palestinians in Doubt - Donald MacintyreSaudi Arabia has so far refused to commit to budget support for the emergency government set up by Mahmoud Abbas, in a political move casting a shadow over Monday's international donors' conference in Paris. One key reason may be Saudi Arabia's reluctance to be seen throwing its weight behind one of the two parties to the coalition deal which it brokered and which then collapsed in Hamas' seizure of Gaza in June. (Independent-UK)

See also Israel: "Arabs Will Pay Little to PA" - Herb KeinonArab states participating in Monday's donor conference in Paris are likely to pledge generously to the Palestinian Authority, but not pay much of their pledges, partly so as not to antagonize Hamas, Israeli diplomatic officials said Sunday. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who arrived in Paris Sunday for the conference, said: "The formula that needs to guide us is on the one hand that a Palestinian economy and the road to a Palestinian state is in Israel's interest, just as Israeli security needs to be a Palestinian interest." (Jerusalem Post)