The federal government has pledged more than €340 million to the Palestinians for humanitarian aid and development for the years 2021 and 2022. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Berlin told the German press agency for both the Foreign Ministry and to the development department. There is no direct funding from the Palestinian Authority by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation.
In the context of the Holocaust scandal by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas during a joint press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Tuesday, calls for consequences for German aid payments have become loud.
For example, the president of the German-Israeli Society, Volker Beck, demanded financial consequences of Abbas’ “outrageous performance”: Germany must make its concessions to the Palestinian Authority contingent on bonuses for anti-Israel terrorists who are no longer paid there. Germany is one of the biggest donors to the Palestinians. Abbas accused Israel of several “Holocausts” against the Palestinians, provoking outrage.
72 million euros for 2022
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) first visited Israel and then the Palestinian territories as part of her maiden voyages in mid-February. She also met Abbas in Ramallah. The spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Ministry has now said that no further visits to Germany are planned by the Palestinians. “The same applies to high-profile travel to the Palestinian Territories.” However, working contacts with Palestinian authorities remain unchanged.
According to the information, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs should provide a total of 72 million euros to the population of the Palestinian territories in 2022. Of these, 65 million euros are destined for humanitarian aid. In 2021, this was a total of around 94 million euros. According to the information provided, the Ministry of Development (BMZ) most recently committed a total of €100 million to bilateral development cooperation projects in September 2021. These multi-year project commitments cover a period of two years, ie 2021 and 2022. The projects would be implemented through German implementing organizations. The political partners for the individual projects are the respective specialized ministries of the Palestinian Authority.
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The BMZ also pledged €57 million for multi-year projects in the Palestinian territories for non-governmental development cooperation in 2021 through structural transitional aid. In addition, in 2021 projects within the scope of municipal partnerships, churches, political foundations and non-governmental organizations worth around 20 million euros were supported, said the spokesperson.