The European Union (EU) has been providing financial aid to the Palestinians for years, but in light of the recent Gaza war, it is now imposing stricter conditions on its aid. According to Vice Commission President Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU wants to ensure that the recipients of its money are not engaging in activities that promote hatred, violence or anti-Semitism.
In response to the brutal Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, which killed 1,200 people and left around 240 abducted, the EU submitted a report detailing aid amounting to 331 million euros for the current year. The report showed no evidence that any European funds had gone directly or indirectly to radical Islamic Hamas. However, there are concerns that some of the recipients may have taken part in hate speech and “glorification of terror.” As a result, Brussels demanded further information from local partners about a further 39 million euros.
Aid worth 75 million euros for the Gaza Strip was classified as “unfeasible” and should be reallocated. Despite this setback, the EU remains committed to being the largest supporter of the Palestinians worldwide. In total, aid for the period 2021 to 2024 will amount to almost 1.2 billion euros. Germany and other member states have also put their national aid to the test after the Hamas attack on Israel. The federal government recently released a good 90 million euros for the Gaza Strip and Jordan. The review for other areas should “soon be completed,” as State Secretary in the Federal Development Ministry Jochen Flasbarth said at an EU meeting in Brussels.