Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said on Saturday the release of $88.6 million in development funds by US lawmakers would help ease a fiscal crisis in the aid-dependent Palestinian economy. "This is very important in order to help us deal with the economic crisis," said Fayyad. In August, Republican lawmakers put a hold on $147 million in US assistance because they objected to a Palestinian push for recognition at the United Nations, arguing that Palestinian statehood should be achieved through peace talks with Israel.