In a series of events, the European Union faced turmoil on Monday when itinitially announced the suspension of aid to Palestinians in response tothe Hamas attack on Israel. This decision was met with objections from EUmember states, who felt that the EU’s executive branch had overstepped itsauthority.
The confusion arose when Oliver Varhelyi, responsible for EU relationswith neighboring countries, stated that the European Commission wasreviewing all of its development aid for Palestinians, totaling 691 millioneuros ($729 million), and claimed that all payments were immediatelysuspended.
Varhelyi, a Hungarian who serves as the European Commissioner forNeighbourhood and Enlargement, was nominated for his position by HungarianPrime Minister Viktor Orban, a strong ally of Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu.
This announcement caused consternation among several governments, withconcerns raised about the negative impact on Palestinian civilians anddoubts regarding the Commission’s authority to make such a decision. Themove was surprising, as officials had previously indicated that aid toPalestinians would be discussed at an emergency meeting of EU foreignministers the following day.
Countries such as Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Ireland openlyexpressed their alarm, while others voiced their concerns behind thescenes. Ireland’s foreign ministry spokesperson emphasized that theybelieved there was no legal basis for such a unilateral decision by anindividual Commissioner and stated their non-support for aid suspension.
Read Top Stories
More than five hours later, the Commission issued a statement clarifyingthat it had initiated an urgent review of aid but asserting that nopayments were being suspended, as there were no payments scheduled. EUforeign policy chief Josep Borrell then added to the confusion bymentioning that the EU would not suspend “due payments,” contradicting theCommission’s earlier statement.
The Commission did not provide an explanation for this discrepancy but madeit clear that humanitarian aid, distinct from development funds, wouldcontinue. The review aimed to ensure that EU funding did not indirectlysupport terrorist organizations conducting attacks against Israel.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas had resulted in casualties on bothsides, with Hamas militants causing Israeli casualties and Israelresponding with a heavy bombardment of Gaza, resulting in Palestiniancasualties.