The European Commission retreated on a previous decision to halt aid funding to Palestine due to the ongoing Hamas attacks on Israel, the decision was reversed late on Monday evening. Janez Lenarčič, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, announced the retraction amid backlash from various European political figures.
The initial suspension of aid was announced earlier on Monday by Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement via a post on X (formerly Twitter). He additionally declared that all European Commission development projects for Palestine were under review.
The suspension met a wave of opposition from numerous EU leaders, among them was the Spanish acting Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz. She shared her dissent with the decision on X, posting that the decision was a “true betrayal by Europe of its own founding principles”. She added, “The European Commission must rectify and Europe lead international action for peace, not punish an entire people.”
The European Commission remains the largest donor to Palestine, its current funding portfolio exceeds 691 million Euros.
The backtrack on the decision followed a statement from the High Representative on behalf of the European Union which solely condemned Hamas for its recent deadly terror attacks on Israel. The statement highlighted that “The EU stands in solidarity with Israel which has the right to defend itself in line with international law, in the face of violent and indiscriminate attacks”.
For more, refer to the full article from Jurist.