Hebron mayor Khaled Osaily and Eng. Abdel Moghni Nofal, Director General of the Municipal Development and Lending Fund (MDLF) signed this morning a 2 million euro funding agreement for the shared taxi station project. The amount was provided as a grant from the Dutch government.

The signing ceremony took place at the municipality under the auspices of the Palestinian Minister of Local Government, Dr. Khaled Al Qawasmi and Robert Zan Embedin, the Netherlands Representative to the PNA. It was attended by members from Hebron‘s Municipal Council, high-level staff and a delegation from the Ministry of Local Government.

Mayor Osaily thanked the Dutch government and people for their generous donation and support to Palestinians in general and to Hebron in particular. He highlighted the close friendly ties between the Netherlands and Palestine as well as the good cooperation between both parties. "I hope this grant will pave the way for additional development projects in Hebron in order to enhance the lives of Hebronites, create job opportunities and improve services in the city. Once completed, such projects shall provide a qualitative leap for services and facilities in the city and shall ensure its prosperity and economic development. This project shall solve one of Hebron‘s main problems by putting an end to traffic jams in the city‘s commercial center and regulating traffic in a civilized manner. Moreover, it shall constitute the nucleus of a comprehensive plan for the development of the transport sector in Hebron Governorate", he added.

Minister Qawasmi, who also chairs MDLF‘s Board of Directors, spoke about the importance of this project for Hebron which is why MDLF decided to fund it. He added that the Palestinian government shall continue to develop important facilities throughout Palestinian governorates and shall provide support to all sectors, especially in Hebron, which is given utmost attention given its political context, the presence of settlers in the Old City, the division of the city into two areas and the continuing occupation in its southern part. He affirmed that the government has prioritized the list of important projects and is seeking funding for them. The next phase shall be the execution of a number of these projects in all governorates, including Hebron.

Mr. Robert Zan Embedin said that many projects are implemented in the Palestinian Territories with funding from the Netherlands government and people. There is a general trend to provide more support to Palestinians and to push the peace process forward. "I am pleased by our cooperation with Hebron Municipality in this vital project. Today, we examined future cooperation as well as projects by Hebron Municipality which is a quite capable municipality and has huge potential to improve the lives of its inhabitants", he added.

Following the signing of the agreement, the delegation was accompanied by mayor Osaily on a tour to Hebron Municipality‘s various departments, sections and facilities.