The White house announced on Friday that that U.S President Bush has completed preparations to send 150 Million USD in aid, as a matter of urgency to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. According to a statement issued from White House, the money is to bail the Palestinian Authority out of financial crisis. The $150,000,000 was promised by the American administration at the Paris conference December 2007, EU donors and some Arab states also pledged 7 billion US$ for the Palestinian Authority. Sources at the White house told French media that the Palestinian Authority's financial crisis seriously threatens the Palestinian Israeli peace process. The White-House stated, the money is to pay PA employees as well as other expenses in the West Bank, but not for costs in Gaza because Hamas controls the region. Hamas was elected by the Palestinian population in 2006 and shortly after, it formed the first Palestinian National Unity government. The EU and the US placed the Palestinian Authority, when led by Hamas under severe economic sanctions, demanding that Hamas recognize Israel and renounce violence. Hamas said it would only agree to this, if Israeli ends its occupation of Palestinian land. Bloody infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Presidential Fatah party started late in 2006.By June 2007 internal conflict ceased when Hamas took control of the Gaza strip and Abbas and a Fatah government took control over the West Bank.
