Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called on Arab countries to quickly disburse the US$500 million they pledged during the Arab summit in Libya last year to prevent a "Judaization" of Jerusalem.
Al-Maliki told reporters ahead of the Arab Economic Summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday that Arab economy ministers had called during pre-summit meetings for postponing consideration of a Palestinian Authority (PA) request to allocate an additional US$430 million to the cause.
Ministers said the projects proposed by the PA and the Arab League should be reviewed by the upcoming Arab summit scheduled for March, according to al-Maliki.
Less than US$37 million of the total US$500 million has been transferred thus far, or less than seven percent of the funds allocated.
The Palestinian delegation, according to al-Malki, “tried to re-highlight the activation of projects set in Jerusalem during the pre-summit meetings, as well as remind Arab leaders that Jerusalem is waiting for them, and that what’s happening there requires an urgent move.”
