Kevin Watkins, Executive Director of the Overseas Development Institute, said:

'Citing an ODI report, the Daily Telegraph article claims UK aid encouraged terrorism. This is factually inaccurate. The report does not conclude that DFID’s five year project encouraged public sector employees to engage in ‘active conflict’. In fact, researchers conclude that donor support is fundamental to preventing the collapse of the Palestinian economy and government, which in itself would lead to a dramatic increase in the conflict.

'As background material to the report, we reviewed data from existing studies which looked at the relationships between labour market conditions and conflict. However, the article failed to mention that this background data was not drawn from the same time period as the five-year grant that was evaluated. The article misrepresents the complex statistical analysis and main conclusions of the report.'

ENDS