The Obama administration will provide US$900 million to support the good governance of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the State Department said on Monday.

"The assistance will be available in 2009, and is subject to Congressional approval," the department said in a statement, adding that "we will work closely with Congress on our assistance package."

The assistance includes US$300 million for the continued immediate humanitarian support to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, which Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised on Monday at an international donors' conference for Gaza recovery in Sharm el Sheikh.

The United States will also offer US$200 million for the budget support for the PNA, and US$400 million for the support needed by the PNA to solidify economic and institutional reforms in the West Bank. Both donations were promised by the former Bush administration in the last year.

In addition, since the beginning of the Gaza crisis last December, the United States has provided over US$65 million in immediate humanitarian assistance, primarily through UN agencies and NGOs.