Jerusalem : The European Union (EU) will increase its financial assistance to the government of Palestine following the signing of the intra-Palestinian reconciliation agreement and ending the division, EU officials told Palestine’s Ambassador to the bloc Abdel Rahim al-Farra.

Speaking to the Voice of Palestine, Farra said that the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council will hold a meeting, during which the Palestinian reconciliation and enabling the legitimate government to operate in the Gaza Strip will be discussed.

On the other hand, Farra confirmed that he was informed by EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Hahn that the time has come to implement development projects in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian ambassador said that Hahn stressed the need to start building the Gaza desalination plant at the cost of $600 million, noting that this amount will be collected soon during the conference of donor countries in Brussels.

Farra welcomed the statement of the EU missions, which hailed the signing of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement that ended the Palestinian split. “There is a great response to developments in the Palestinian reconciliation,” he said.

—AB/IINA