FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
BRUSSELS – Austria was the first to announce on Monday morning, although German Development Minister Svenja Schulze had already made it clear on Sunday: development aid programs in the Palestinian territories of both countries will be suspended in response to the Hamas offensive against Israel.
Then that is itNotice There will be a global assessment of the entire portfolio shortly before 3:00 p.m. indefinitely.”
For Várhelyi, “the level of terror and brutality against Israel and its people represents a turning point” and “business as usual” is no longer possible: “As the largest donor to the Palestinians, the European Commission is reviewing its entire development portfolio, for a total value of 691 Million Euros”. “Now we have to deal with the foundations of peace, tolerance and coexistence,” continues the EU Commissioner. The incitement to hatred, violence and the glorification of terror have poisoned the minds of too many people. We need action, and we need it now.”
The European Commission said during the usual lunch meeting on Monday that it was “evaluating what impact the recent tragic events could have on current and future development aid”, but stressed that “it is very clear that the EU is neither directly funding nor… “Indirectly Hamas or any other terrorist organization or activity.”
The suspension of funds intended for the Palestinian population is intended to put pressure on Hamas. However, the EU External Action Service spokesman said Brussels’ “concern is for the civilian population” without prejudice to “Israel’s right to defend its territories in accordance with international and humanitarian law.” The scale of Saturday’s aggression clearly shows that anything other than the search for peace is unsustainable.” A spokeswoman said: “The EU supports the Palestinian people’s state-building projects in line with the priorities set by the 27 member states.” EU -Funds support essential services for the Palestinian population and contribute to the Palestinian Authority’s spending on health care, social assistance for vulnerable families and salaries of civil servants. There is also help in the areas of water resources and energy management.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has called an emergency meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Muscat, where he is preparing for an EU meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which brings together six countries on the Arabian Peninsula, on Tuesday in Oman. The EU should address the situation in Israel and the region from all angles, including aid programs. The meeting will take place in a hybrid format as only some Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-Seven are present in Muscat, the others will join via video conference.
The EU has allocated 296 million euros to support the Palestinian Authority in the 2022 budget. In 2021, EU funding for Palestine was blocked for a period due to Hungary’s denial of the anti-Semitic content of school textbooks used in the territories, according to a 2019 report. In early May last year, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with the EU in Brussels -Neighborhood Commissioner, Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi, who promised that “the European Union will ensure that it does not finance Palestinian textbooks that incite against Israel.” However, the EU does not provide any funding for the design and printing of textbooks.
The Union is one of Palestine’s most important development partners. Before the attack on Israel, Brussels planned to provide financial support of up to 1.177 billion euros from 2021 to 2024 with the aim – it said in a statement at the beginning of the year – “to create responsible institutions for a future Palestinian state and the Palestinian state to support”. Birth of a self-sufficient economy”.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg announced on Monday morning on public radio station Oe1 that Vienna would “initially suspend all development aid payments” amounting to 19 million euros. Schallenberg also said that Austria would examine all projects with the Palestinian territories and consult with the European Union and its international partners. “The scale of the terror is so terrible. “It is such a disruption that we cannot return to day-to-day business,” he added.
The federal government has also decided to “temporarily” suspend development aid for the Palestinian territories until its use is monitored: This corresponds to bilateral development cooperation of 125 million euros for the Palestinian territories for the current and next year. A spokesman for the Federal Development Ministry explained: “This means that they will not be paid for the moment, during the control phase, but not that they will be stopped permanently.” In an interview with Spiegel on Sunday, Development Minister Svenja Schulze had anticipated her intention to do so to review German commitment.