The European Union released on Tuesday $274 million in aid to support health and education programs under the Palestinian Authority and to offer support to Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East, AFP reported.
The European Commission has released the aid in effort to help Palestinian governmental institutions become more accountable and democratic to prepare them for running a future independent state. The amount released Tuesday is the first part of the commission's 2016 aid package.
"Today the European Commission has approved a 252.5 million euro ($274 million) assistance package for Palestine," the commission said.
"Through this package, the EU supports the daily lives of Palestinians in the fields of education and health, protecting the poorest families," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said.
"But these steps are not enough; Palestinian institutions must continue to grow stronger, become more transparent, more accountable and more democratic," Mogherini added.
The EU has long supported a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, and appears to be taking a stronger stance since US-brokered peace talks between Israel and Palestine collapsed in April 2014.
