The European Union has retracted a previous statement made by a commissioner on Monday, in which it was stated that the bloc intended to halt humanitarian aid payments to Palestinian-controlled territories. This decision came after Hamas conducted a large-scale terrorist attack on Israel over the weekend.
“There will be no suspension of payments” at the moment, the Commission said in a statement reported by The Associated Press.
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, contradicted the statement on social media. He mentioned that the bloc’s development portfolio of 691 million euros (equivalent to $730 million) for the Palestinians is currently under review.
“The scale of terror and brutality against #Israel and its people is a turning point,” Varhelyi wrote in an X-post. “There can be no business as usual.”
Varhelyi stated that all payments, projects under review, as well as current and new budget proposals, will be “postponed until further notice.”
“The foundations for peace, tolerance and co-existence must now be addressed,” he said. “Incitement to hatred, violence and glorification of terror have poisoned the minds of too many. We need action and we need it now.”
High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell Fontelles confirmed the decision.
The review of the EU’s assistance for Palestine announced by the European Commission will not suspend the due payments, as clarified by the Commission’s press release.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) October 9, 2023
On October 7, 2023, Hamas unleashed a relentless barrage of rockets into Israel, prompting people across the country to seek refuge in bomb shelters. At the same time, this terrorist organization deployed drones to target and disable Israeli defenses along the border, while militants utilized explosives, bulldozers, and other means to breach the country’s fortified walls. Shockingly, over 1,000 terrorists infiltrated the nation through various means including paragliders, boats, motorcycles, trucks, and on foot. Their sinister mission involved hunting down innocent civilians, subjecting them to unspeakable violence or kidnapping.
Following the attack, the casualty toll in Israel has tragically risen to 900 lives lost and approximately 2,400 injured. This devastating toll comes after an attack by Hamas on the Middle Eastern nation, marking the largest number of Jewish lives lost in a single day since the Holocaust.
