The European Commission announced on Monday the suspension of European aid to the Palestinians, following Hamas’ massive attack on Israel last Saturday. It then indicated that it would not suspend payments at this stage.
Will the Europeans succeed in adopting a common position regarding the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel, and in particular on the position to adopt on European aid to the Palestinians? The foreign ministers of the 27 countries debated on the afternoon of Tuesday October 10. The European Commission has clarified the situation after the confusion of the day before, when it first announced that it would suspend European aid to the Palestinians, before reversing course.
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We must first distinguish the two types of European aid. There is humanitarian aid, almost 30 million euros this year, intended for the most vulnerable populations. This financial support is in no way called into question and never has been, we assure Brussels. Then there is development aid. This corresponds to 1.2 billion euros over four years, or around 300 million euros per year. They are used to finance infrastructure projects in the water and energy sectors, to build hospitals and to support public services in the Palestinian Authority.
On this aspect, the Commission has indeed clarified its position. It will re-examine the projects one by one and ensure that no sum is diverted to support, in particular, the activities of Hamas, an organization that it considers to be terrorist. After this review, it will then see whether or not there is reason to suspend certain projects, explained Tuesday, October 10, Eric Mamer, the spokesperson for the institution.
A review is finally decided
This update comes in a fairly electric climate over the past 24 hours, between certain capitals and the Commission, accused of not having consulted enough, and even between institutions. Indeed, on Monday October 9, Hungarian Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi announced a suspension of all payments. He made this decision alone, admitted the Commission spokesperson. It must be emphasized that Hungary, with Viktor Orban at its head, is pro-Israeli. This undoubtedly explains this, even if it is a serious slip for a commissioner.
This then results in backpedaling. Monday, October 9, in the evening, the Commission announced that it was not suspending any payments at this stage. She prefers to launch a simple check before making any decision. Several States would not be opposed to this review, this is the case of France or even Germany, from which we understand on Tuesday October 10 that it will not suspend its aid either without prior examination, contrary to what had been was included Monday October 9.
In any case, this is what the chief diplomat of the European Union, Josep Borrell, says, who publicly pleads for lasting financial support for the Palestinians. Josep Borrell, who we do not feel is completely on the same line as the Commission in terms of communication. There is surprising uncertainty in Brussels on such a politically sensitive subject.