The European Union will not stop its aid to the Palestinian people. “The vast majority of European foreign ministers, with the exception of two or three, have clearly said that cooperation with the Palestinian Authority (PA) must continue”, summarized the high representative of Foreign Policy of the EU, Josep Borrell, after the extraordinary conclave held yesterday to assess the situation. “There has been a clear distinction between Hamas, the Palestinian people and the PA,” he remarked. “Not all Palestinians are terrorists, and such a punishment would be unfair and counterproductive for our interests and for peace.”
Europe thus distances itself from the unexpected idea expressed the day before by Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi to immediately suspend all Community aid to the Palestinians, an announcement as categorical as it is incorrect according to the European Commission, which yesterday washed its hands of the communicative chaos created and accused the Hungarian politician, sent by Viktor Orbán, of acting for free. “Varhelyi’s announcement was not preceded by consultations with any other member of the college, that must be clear,” said the spokesperson for the president of the institution, Ursula von der Leyen.
Brussels will indeed carry out an urgent audit of all pending aid, 691 million euros in total, to make sure that not a single euro goes “through the back door” to Hamas, but the decision does not affect humanitarian aid (28 million euros in 2023). “This exercise cannot be an excuse to postpone payments”, stressed Borrell after Germany, Austria and Sweden have preemptively suspended all their aid to the Palestinians. Given the situation on the ground, “in the future we will have to do more, not less”, pointed out Borrell.
Beyond the firm condemnation of the terrorist attack by Hamas on Saturday, the EU’s position on the Palestinian conflict unites different political sensitivities and is thus reflected in the message agreed yesterday by the Twenty-Seven. “Israel must respect international humanitarian law” and “cutting off electricity and food” in Gaza “is not in accordance with international law”, stressed Borrell.
At the same time, the major European powers have agreed with Washington to express their “firm support” for Israel. The leaders of the USA, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement yesterday in which they condemned the terrorist actions of Hamas and announced that they will “assist Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people from these atrocities”, without setting conditions, as the EU does.
