The European Commission, one of the seven high institutions that make up the European Union (EU), announced that it will urgently review its payments to Palestine following the Hamas terrorist group's attacks against Israel.
Although it was initially reported that aid money would be suspended immediately, the Commission clarified in a statement Monday that it will assess - "as soon as possible" - whether EU assistance to Palestine benefits terrorist organizations, even if "indirectly."
It will also consider whether its support programs for the Palestinian population and the Palestinian Authority "need to be adjusted." In the meantime, it clarified that as there are no scheduled payments, no suspension will take place.
In the meantime, as there were no payments foreseen, there will be no suspension of payments. This review does not concern humanitarian assistance provided under European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
The EU clarified the statement previously issued by the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, which claimed that "all payments [had been] immediately suspended." Varhelyi had listed all the sanctions imposed on Palestine on his X account (formerly Twitter):
The scale of terror and brutality against #Israel and its people is a turning point.
There can be no business as usual.
As the biggest donor of the Palestinians, the European Commission is putting its full development portfolio under review, worth a total of EUR 691m
⤵️— Oliver Varhelyi (@OliverVarhelyi) October 9, 2023
Varhelyi added that the goal is to address "foundations for peace, tolerance and co-existence" because "incitement to hatred, violence and glorification of terror have poisoned the minds of too many."
