EU pledges support for new Palestinian government

The European Union today said it would support the Palestinian government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the West Bank and urged Israel to do likewise.

Speaking in Luxembourg, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the 27-nation bloc would resume direct aid funding to the West Bank government and plans alternative aid funding for the 1.4 million Gaza Palestinians through the United Nations or an existing temporary scheme that bypasses the Hamas government there.

"In order to help the Palestinian people in Gaza, we will need some mechanism that cannot be a direct support" given that Hamas is sworn to destroy the Jewish state, Mr Solana said on arrival at an EU foreign ministers meeting.