The European Commission continues in crisis management mode after the chaos wreaked yesterday by the head of the Neighborhood portfolio, Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, by proclaiming the “immediate” suspension of “all” community aid to the Palestinian people in reaction to the terrorist attack. of Hamas against Israel, which he described as a “turning point” for the policy of the European Union. Varhelyi went freely, Eric Mamer, spokesperson for the president of the institution, Ursula von der Leyen, said today.
“Varhelyi’s announcement was not preceded by consultations with any other member of the college, that should be clear,” Mamer said. The position expressed by the commissioner in his account on social network X “was not coordinated” with any of his colleagues or with Von der Leyen, he emphasized today during the institution’s daily press conference. As announced last night in a press release, Brussels will review all its aid items to the Palestinians, but this decision does not affect humanitarian assistance. “It is a separate budget item” and “whatever the debate on assistance to the Palestinians, humanitarian aid is not affected by the review,” he stressed.
Von der Leyen does not plan to take any disciplinary action against the commissioner, her spokesperson said. “She is totally focused on following the situation on the ground,” said Mamer. The spokesperson did not want to specify whether the president of the European Commission had contacts with Varhelyi yesterday, although he did make it clear that he was not aware of her initiative, which internally is attributed simply to the Hungarian conservative politician’s desire to express his total support for Israel. . But in the midst of communication chaos, several community sources expressed their suspicions that the Hungarian was acting with the approval of the German conservative, who on Saturday went further than the traditional position of the EU regarding the conflict, stating that “Israel has the right to defend itself.” , or convinced that he would not encounter opposition.
The reactions that immediately came from different parts of the EU made it clear that there are nuances in the position of the member states and not all of them share a response of such magnitude. Varhelyi’s categorical announcement was followed by a barrage of reactions from European governments, surprised by his words and in some cases firmly opposed to any measure in this regard. The Hungarian commissioner, sent by Viktor Orbán’s Government, published his tweet at the same time as the weekly meeting of the heads of cabinet of the European commissioners began, who immediately addressed the issue, Mamer explained. In an attempt to clarify the official position, the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenar?i?, a Slovenian, distanced himself from his colleague and assured that humanitarian aid to Palestinians in need “will be maintained as long as necessary.” .
The news announced by Varhelyi, who last year caused an internal conflict by unilaterally suspending more than 200 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority and this year sparked the fury of MEPs for his attitude during a plenary session, had begun to make its way around the world. But the community Executive remained silent and it was not until late in the afternoon when it published a statement trying to clarify the situation. “As there are no planned payments, there will be no suspension” of any disbursement, and the review to verify that community aid does not somehow end up in the hands of Hamas will be carried out as quickly as possible to avoid any payment being seen. unduly compromised, Brussels finally pointed out.
Once the official position of the Community Executive was clarified, some European officials expressed their firm opposition to the initiative proposed by Varhelyi. “Suspending payments, thus punishing the entire Palestinian people, would have damaged the EU’s interests in the region and strengthened terrorists,” EU Foreign Policy High Representative Josep Borrell tweeted. “We must not cut off much-needed humanitarian and development aid to Palestinian civilians. This could be exploited by Hamas and exacerbate tensions and hatred,” warned the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
Beyond the internal chaos in the European Commission, the positions of the member states on the future of aid to the Palestinian people are varied. The governments of Germany and Austria announced yesterday that they were suspending all payments, without distinguishing between humanitarian aid or cooperation, or that destined for the West Bank, a territory that, unlike the Gaza Strip, is not controlled by Hamas. Belgium and Spain, on the other hand, advise against punishing the entire Palestinian people and neglecting the needs of the most vulnerable. The matter is today on the table of the foreign ministers of the Twenty-seven, called to an extraordinary meeting by Borrell to address the situation.
