Call for int'l aid to Palestinians

"It is necessary to resume international aid to Palestinians," Royal said, according to participants in a roundtable discussion she held with Palestinian students in Gaza City.

Palestinians need access to functioning public services, added Royal, who is vying with French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy in presidential elections scheduled for April 22.

Following the victory of the Islamist movement Hamas, which refuses to renounce violence or recognise Israel, international assistance to Palestinians was partially frozen in March.

Despite the freeze, European Commission spokeswoman Emma Udwin says the EU has given 651 million euros (817 million dollars) to the Palestinians since the start of 2006, up from an annual average of 500 million euros.