European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said on Monday afternoon that “humanitarian aid to the most needy Palestinians will continue as long as the need exists.”
The European Commissioner says that he “strongly condemns the terrorist attack by Hamas”, but understands that “it is imperative to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law.” For this reason, European aid for humanitarian projects in Palestine will “continue” to be delivered.
While I strongly condemn the terrorist attack carried out by #HamasIt is imperative to protect civilians and respect IHL.
EU humanitarian aid #palestines needy will continue as long as necessary.
– Janez Lenarčič (@JanezLenarcic) October 9, 2023
The clarification from the Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management comes hours after the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Policy, the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, announced that on the eve of the meeting in which the Union’s foreign ministers European Union will decide how to proceed in relation to the Palestinians, announced the complete and immediate cut of all payments to the Palestinians.
•All payments suspended immediately.
•All projects put under review.
•All new budget proposals, incl. for 2023 postponed until further notice.
•Comprehensive evaluation of the entire portfolio.-Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) October 9, 2023
The unilateral decision, announced by the Hungarian commissioner, does not, however, have the support of the Council of the European Union and is already being rejected by some governments.
For example, the Irish Government considers that there is “no legal basis” to support a decision of this nature and is awaiting clarification from the European Commission. Spain also does not agree with the funding cut. And Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister was irritated by the decision to cut European support for Palestine.
At a time when doubts are growing about the money circuit, after abandoning European control, Brussels had assured, early in the afternoon, through the spokesperson for Neighborhood Policy of the European Commission, Ana Pisonero, that Brussels has means to ensure that funds are not channeled towards terrorist activities.
“The European Union has very strict rules for selecting and vetting beneficiaries of European funds. And, of course, all beneficiaries of European Union funding are obliged to ensure that these funds are not made available, directly or indirectly, from entities, individuals or groups that have been designated under restrictive measures or their representatives,” highlights the spokesperson.
The issue marked the agenda of the European Commission’s daily press conference, with journalists questioning whether Brussels has guarantees that European funds cannot be channeled towards the purchase of weapons by Hamas.
Ursula von der Leyen’s main spokesperson, the president of the European Commission, Eric Mamer, guarantees that “the European Union does not finance Hamas or its activities in any way.”
News updated at 9:42 p.m.
Source: TSF
