BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission said on Monday it was reviewing all 691 million euros in development aid to the Palestinians, and was immediately suspending all regulations due to the attack on Hamas against Israel.
“The scale of terror and brutality against Israel and its people marks a turning point,” said Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, in a message posted on social media. “We cannot continue to act as if nothing had happened.”
The Hamas attack on Israel has left more than 800 dead since Saturday, according to the latest toll reported Monday by the Israeli press, while the Gaza Ministry of Health reported at least 560 Palestinian deaths.
Oliver Varhelyi said all new budget proposals regarding aid to the Palestinians were also postponed until further notice.
“The foundations of peace, tolerance and coexistence must now be addressed,” he said.
“Incitement to hatred, violence and the glorification of terror have poisoned the minds of too many people,” he added. “We must act and we must do it now,” the commissioner said.
Earlier on Monday, Austria said it was suspending tens of millions of euros in aid to the Palestinians in response to the attack on Israel while Germany reviewed its support.
(Reporting Andrew Gray and Charlotte Van Campenhout; French version Nathan Vifflin, editing by Kate Entringer)
©2023 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.