UAE President Sheikh Mohamed orders $3 million in aid for Palestinian town hit by violence

Hundreds of Israeli settlers set fire to homes and cars in Hawara in the West Bank town last month

President Sheikh Mohamed has ordered $3 million in aid for the Palestinian town of Hawara. Photo: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

President Sheikh Mohamed has ordered $3 million in financial aid to support the reconstruction of the Palestinian town of Hawara and help victims caught up in violent scenes last month.

The initiative will be implemented by Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Transport in co-operation with the Emirati-Palestinian Friendship Club, as part of the UAE's humanitarian efforts to support the Palestinian people, state news agency Wam reported.

The department held a meeting with a visiting Palestinian delegation, which included Hawara's mayor Moeen Dmaidi, to discuss the distribution of the funds.

One Palestinian was killed and scores injured when hundreds of Israeli settlers ran through the town's streets wielding iron bars and other weapons, setting fire to homes and cars after the fatal shooting of two Israelis by Palestinian gunmen.

The top Israeli general in charge of soldiers in the occupied West Bank accused settlers of carrying out a “pogrom” and spreading terror for rampaging through the area.

A “pogrom” is a mob attack, approved or condoned by the authorities, against a religious, racial, or national minority.

The UAE last month requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the worsening violence in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Lana Nusseibeh, UAE's Ambassador to the UN, said she was "deeply concerned" about the escalating violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and called for the UN Security Council meeting to address it "immediately."

UAE pledges support

Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President, said the donation was further demonstration of the UAE's steadfast support for Palestine and its people.

“The UAE's support for the Palestinian people is consistent and firm, confirmed by real positions and concrete actions that alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians,” Dr Gargash wrote on Twitter.

The Emirates has delivered crucial financial and humanitarian assistance to Palestine over the years.

In December, the UAE sent 85 tons of medicine and medical supplies to support hospitals in Gaza.

A convoy of six lorries was sent through the Rafah border crossing carrying aid worth $10 million.

A $25m grant from Sheikh Mohamed in July saved a hospital in East Jerusalem from shutting down.

Al Makassed Hospital, a non-profit clinic run by an Islamic charity, was struggling to pay salaries and costs after the local government cut aid during the coronavirus pandemic.

It stopped taking non-emergency patients in April last year as bills mounted.

The 250-bed hospital, which was established in 1968, is one of the main referral hospitals for the Palestinian community of Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It provides specialist treatments such as cardiology, orthopaedics, paediatric medicine and neurology.

Sheikh Mohamed reaffirmed the UAE's stance on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in November.

Sheikh Mohamed reiterated the UAE's backing of the Palestinian people and their right to an independent state on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The UN observes the day in accordance with the mandates of the General Assembly.

Sheikh Mohamed has previously set out the UAE's desire for a lasting peace to be secured.