The EU announced on Wednesday it has disbursed the first tranche of short-term emergency financial support to the Palestinian Authority. The EU stated, in a press release, that the first instalment of euro 150 million released today is "part of the euro 400 million EU short-term emergency financial support to the Palestinian Authority," announced on July 19. Meanwhile, the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement in the European Union stated that the emergency assistance supports a reform agenda and paves the way for the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza. The first instalment will serve "to pay salaries and pensions of civil servants in the West Bank and support vulnerable families." The European Union is the biggest provider of external assistance to the Palestinians, amounting to indicatively almost Âpound 1.2 billion for 2021-2024 under the European Joint Strategy, of which over euro 890 million have already been adopted. Source: Kuwait News Agency