With the exception of two or three countries, the majority are against freezing EU aid payments to the Palestinian authorities. Foreign Minister Schallenberg agrees and also announces an analysis of the payments.
The announced review of EU aid payments to the Palestinian authorities must not lead to a delay in these payments. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said this on Tuesday after talks with EU foreign ministers in Muscat, Oman. The majority of EU Member States, with the exception of two to three countries, are against freezing development funds. Borrell did not say who these countries were.
Borrell’s opinion is not shared by everyone: diplomatic circles said that more countries were in favor of the freeze. Furthermore, payments to the Palestinian authorities would only be made at long intervals, meaning that a freeze during the review might not lead to any real delay. According to the same source, there was also an agreement that humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population should be continued.
Foreign Minister Schallenberg: “Frozen” payments are being checked
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) emphasized before the emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on the situation in the Middle East that Austria had “frozen” its development aid payments to the Palestinians and would subject them to review. In a telephone conversation with journalists, Schallenberg described it as “necessary” and “legitimate” to assess what was happening with Austrian tax money. They must not support structures that promote Hamas. There are currently no humanitarian aid funds in preparation. Austria does not want to impede “useful projects” that could lead to further radicalization.
The EU’s top diplomat, Borrell, does not assume that the audit will show that EU funds ended up directly or indirectly with radical Islamist Hamas in the past. But if this is exactly what comes to light during the examination, someone must take political responsibility for it, said Borrell, who, however, remained vague about what he meant by that.
The Hamas terrorist attack and any attacks on civilians are condemned, Borrell said. But a distinction must be made between Hamas, the Palestinians and the Palestinian authorities (in the West Bank). “Cutting off aid to the Palestinian authorities now would be a huge mistake and a huge gift for Hamas,” continued the EU’s chief diplomat.
Borrell: Israel has the right to defend itself, but…
Borrell also criticized Israel. The country has the right to defend itself, but it must do so in accordance with international law. The blockade of water and food supplies in the Gaza Strip is a violation of international law.
Some EU states, such as France and Spain, were angered by the European Commission’s announcement on Monday that it would suspend “all payments” to Palestinians. The European Commission emphasized on Monday night that since “no payments are currently planned, there will be no deferral of payments.” On Tuesday, the European Commission declared that it did not want to suspend humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the European Commission detailed EU funds for Palestine on Tuesday night: 681 million so far in the years 2021 to 2023. Most of it went to the Palestinian Authority, the rest to the agency United Nations aid program for Palestinian refugees, UNWRA. For 2023, another 10 million are planned for UNWRA and another 168 million for the Palestinian Authority and “other projects”.
EU foreign ministers held an emergency meeting in the afternoon to discuss the situation in the Middle East. The meeting took place partially via videoconference. Several EU ministers, including Schallenberg, were already in Muscat on Tuesday to take part in the EU ministerial meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Omani capital. Borrell called the crisis meeting to discuss the situation in Israel and the region.
On Tuesday, Borrell also invited Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Palestinian counterpart Rijad al-Maliki. However, both ended up not participating in the meeting, as a participant in the discussions explained to APA.
Schallenberg emphasized in advance that participants in the EU’s Gulf Cooperation Council feared a “massive conflagration.” Many would not consider the attack a coincidence: “We have just had a lot of positive developments in the region,” Schallenberg emphasized. Hamas does not want normalization. There are concerns that regional countries such as Libya, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq could be drawn into the conflict. (APA)