RAMALLAH, Sunday, November 2, 2025 – The Palestinian and German Governments held their biennial intergovernmental negotiations on development cooperation. The Palestinian delegation was led by the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Dr. Estephan Salameh and the German delegation was led by the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Niels Annen.

At the conclusion of the discussions, both sides signed at the Prime Minister’s Office in Ramallah a cooperation protocol that includes a financial package of €158 million, dedicated to implementing development programs and projects in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem.

At the opening session, Dr. Salameh highlighted the importance of the Palestinian-German partnership and expressed appreciation for Germany’s support to the Palestinian development. He also emphasized the need to provide humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people in Gaza at scale and to start the reconstruction efforts as soon as possible. He stressed that settler violence and settlement expansion must stop and Israel must release the tax revenues in full and stop all deductions, renew the correspondent banking arrangement, and solve the excess cash problem in order to allow the Palestinian government to continue providing essential services to its citizens.

In his opening remarks, State Secretary Niels Annen highlighted Germany’s continued commitment to supporting the development of the Palestinian Territories and the reform agenda of the Palestinian Authority. During the discussions, both sides reviewed progress under the ongoing cooperation portfolio and agreed on future priorities and areas of focus.

The €158 million pledged by Germany will support programs in the fields of technical and vocational education and training (TVET), reform and good governance, sustainable management of water resources (Nexus), employment and economic resilience, and private sector and financial systems development. These priority areas aim to strengthen institutions, expand job opportunities, and enhance sustainable and inclusive growth across Palestine.

Germany remains one of the largest bilateral development partners for Palestine, with a current portfolio of ongoing projects amounting to around €1 billion, excluding humanitarian assistance. In addition to its development support, Germany provides substantial support for UN Agencies, Palestinian civil society, and the private sector.

Among the participants in the negotiations from the German side were representatives from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the KfW Development Bank, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB), and the German Federal Foreign Office. Meanwhile, representatives of ten Palestinian government agencies were actively present in the negotiations.