BRUSSELS: The European Commission said on Monday it was putting its full portfolio of development aid to Palestinians, worth 691 million euros ($728.66 million), under review and immediately suspending all payments.
"The scale of terror and brutality against Israel and its people is a turning point," Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for the EU's neighbourhood, said in a post on social media platform X. "There can be no business as usual."
Austria and Germany said on Monday they were suspending aid worth tens of millions of euro to Palestinians.
Both countries said they wanted to review their engagement with the Palestinian territories, and discuss that with Israel and international partners. Berlin said it wanted to ensure it was fostering peace in the region and send a sign of solidarity.
Europe is one of the main sources of development aid to the Palestinian people, meaning the decisions could have major repercussions should other countries follow suit.
The United Nations estimates that around 2.1 million people in the Palestinian territories need humanitarian assistance, among them 1 million children.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the country was suspending aid totalling around 19 million euros ($20 million) for a handful of projects.
Neutral Austria's ruling conservatives have adopted one of the most pro-Israel stances in the European Union in recent years. The Israeli flag has been hoisted above the chancellor's office and the Foreign Ministry after the shock Hamas assault launched from the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
"The extent of the terror is so horrific ... that we cannot go back to business as usual. We will therefore put all payments from Austrian development cooperation on ice for the time being," Schallenberg told ORF radio in comments confirmed by a spokeswoman, adding the estimate of funds and projects affected.
Schallenberg did not distinguish between Gaza, a Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas, and the much larger West Bank run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah movement is a rival to Hamas. — Agencies
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
