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The European Commission said on Monday it was putting its full portfolio of development aid to Palestinians, worth €691 million ($728.66 million), under review and immediately suspending all payments until further notice.
“The scale of terror and brutality against Israel and its people is a turning point,” Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
“There can be no business as usual,” he continued, adding: “The foundations for peace, tolerance and co-existence must now be addressed. Incitement to hatred, violence and glorification of terror have poisoned the minds of too many. We need action and we need it now.”
The EU is one of the biggest providers of financial aid to the Palestinian territories and had planned for around €1.2 billion of investment between 2021 and 2024, predominantly in health and education. According to a spokesperson, the funds do not “directly or indirectly” support Hamas, which the EU and others have classified as a terrorist organization.
In Germany, development minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) announced on Sunday that German financial aid to the Palestinians would be reviewed, while Austria’s foreign minister also said that payments had been suspended ahead of a halt to development cooperation.
EU foreign ministers are set to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the situation, announced Josep Borrell, the bloc’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
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