Local Editor

"Israel" announced on Tuesday a 700, 000-euro [555,000 US dollars] project sponsored by the European Union [EU] to boost tourism, as the sector is still struggling to recover from the recent "Israeli" aggression on seized Gaza.

The project is part of a 1.5-million-euro [1.2 million dollars] EU initiative which is said to promote cooperation among Mediterranean Sea Basin countries. Partners in the project also include Catalonia in Spain and the Italian island of Sardinia.

The objective of the 20-month "Israeli" project is to "assist in the development of new and traditional small and medium businesses located along cultural tourist routes in the Mediterranean basin," the Ministry of Tourism said in a statement.

Two areas in occupied Palestine have been selected, whereby ""Israel" will receive 700,000 euros to advance the project," the ministry said.

Moreover, the project is said to be critical for local tourism since "Israel" is still grappling to offset the impact of its recent 50-day aggression against the seized Gaza Strip.

Official figures show that some 179,000 tourists entered occupied Palestine in September, down 15 percent year-on-year and also the lowest rate in the last seven years.

In the peak of the "Israeli" aggression in August, tourism saw a 32-percent drop, as only 164,000 tourists entered the Zionist entity.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team