Aid to Palestinians will continue: EU

Brussels (Uttam Hindu News): The European Union (EU) said in a clarification that financial aid for the Palestinians would continue. Earlier, one of their officials had claimed that all development assistance to the bloc would be suspended in the wake of the Hamas terrorist group’s attack on Israel.

In a series of social media posts on Monday, European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said the Commission would suspend all Palestinian funding until further review in the wake of the October 7 attack, CNN reported. In response to his comments, the European Commission said it was launching an urgent review of EU aid to Palestine, but that the review would relate to humanitarian assistance provided under the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operation (ECHO). Not there.

“In addition to existing security measures, this review aims to ensure that any EU funding does not indirectly enable any terrorist organization to carry out attacks against Israel,” it said in a statement. The commission also said it unequivocally condemns the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel. Following Varhelyi’s comments, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lennark said humanitarian aid to Palestinians would continue, CNN reported.

“While I strongly condemn the terrorist attack by Hamas, it is imperative to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law. “EU humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need will continue for as long as needed,” the official said. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also reiterated on Monday that the review of EU aid to Palestine announced by the European Commission will not suspend due payments.