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Baird non-committal on $300 million Palestinian funding, which expires Sunday
OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is making no commitment to renew Canada’s $300 million in aid spending for the Palestinians.
The five-year commitment expires Sunday, but Baird says he wants to hear directly from the Palestinian Authority before he makes any future funding decisions.
Baird will be in the West Bank in about 10 days as part of a major Middle East and Persian Gulf swing that begins today.
The Palestinian aid money goes toward strengthening its justice system, private sector economic development, and health and education assistance.
The government is reviewing the commitment after the Palestinians won a historic UN General Assembly vote in November granting status to the Palestinians as a non-member observer state.
Canada, along with the United States, was one of nine countries in the 194-country assembly that voted against the Palestinian statehood bid.
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