Spain Labels EU Decision to Cut Aid to Palestine as "Betrayal"
Spain's acting Deputy Prime Minister criticized the European Union's decision to suspend financial aid to Palestine in the wake of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, branding the move as a "genuine betrayal." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Yolanda Diaz stated that Europe should not punish an entire nation. "This decision is outrageous, it is a genuine betrayal of Europe's own founding principles," she wrote, adding, "The European Commission must rectify this, and Europe must lead an international peace initiative, not punish an entire people." This came as Oliver Varhelyi, EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, announced on Monday that all of Europe's payments to Palestine, its largest donor, would be immediately halted, and all budget proposals related to the recent operation by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas would be postponed indefinitely.
Early on Saturday, Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against Israel, firing a barrage of rockets. It was reported that the surprise attack was in response to repeated and escalating violence by illegal Zionist settlers. Oliver Varhelyi revealed on X that the EU, as the largest donor to the Palestinians, would suspend its entire development portfolio amounting to 691 million euros. Diplomatic sources informed the Spanish news agency Europapress and the daily newspaper El Diario that dissatisfaction with the EU's decision to halt aid was widespread among Spanish heads of state and government. Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares expressed his disapproval of the announcement to Varhelyi, emphasizing that he and other foreign ministers had not been informed in advance.
Reports suggest that Albares has requested EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to discuss the freeze in financing at the upcoming urgent meeting of foreign ministers on Tuesday. Borrell also condemned the unilateral decision to suspend funding, asserting that the EU would not halt "due payments." Sources within the Irish government also told Europapress that they disagreed with the EU's decision to freeze funding, stating that the Council did not have the "legal basis" to implement such measures unilaterally. "According to our understanding, there is no legal basis for a unilateral decision of this kind by a single commissioner, and we do not support a suspension of aid," said a spokesperson for the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shortly after Varhelyi's statement, Janez Lenarcic, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, offered further insights and provided a nuanced perspective on the matter.
He condemned Hamas' operation but stated, "It is imperative to protect the civilian population and respect international humanitarian law. The EU's humanitarian aid to suffering Palestinians will continue as long as necessary." Meanwhile, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze supported the Commission's stance on suspending aid, stating that currently, no payments were being made for bilateral aid projects as Berlin reviewed its engagement in the Palestinian territories. "This is also an expression of our unbreakable solidarity with Israel," she stated at a press conference. Austria also took an extremely supportive stance towards Israel. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg announced the suspension of aid to Palestine amounting to around 19 million euros.
EuroNews
