Germany has suspended humanitarian aid payments to Palestine in the wake of the deadly terrorist assault on Israel by Hamas terrorists.
The German government’s development minister, Svenja Schulze, announced on Sunday that as a result of the “terrible turning point” of Saturday’s surprise terror attacks and invasion of Israel by Hamas, a review will be conducted of the hundreds of millions that Germany supplies to Palestine.
“These attacks on Israel are a terrible turning point,” the Social Democrat Party politician said according to German broadcaster NTV. “We will therefore examine our entire commitment to the Palestinian territories.”
The Federal Development Ministry went on to state that all aid has been suspended amid the review, saying that current humanitarian support payments are “not currently being made”.
According to the ministry, Germany is “one of the largest donors in the Palestinian territories.” For 2023 and 2024, Germany has committed €250 million (around $265 million) in aid to Palestine, half of which is spent through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.
The government has maintained that there is “no direct financing of the Palestinian Authority” but rather the money goes directly for projects to improve water quality, healthcare, food security, and employment, which the ministry claimed is often in Israel’s interest.
A woman seen stripped half naked in a pickup truck and flanked by Hamas terrorists has been identified as German citizen Shani Louk.https://t.co/jqJsm0PEM3
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 8, 2023
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), one of the members of the “traffic light” coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, called for a swift decision to be made on the aid being sent to Palestine in the aftermath of the attacks against Israel over the weekend.
“The terror is shocking. We shouldn’t just react to it with words,” Lindner said. “I am therefore hoping for a recommendation from the Foreign Minister as to how the German state should proceed with financial support for the Palestinians in light of this violence.”
Opposition MP, Roderich Kiesewetter of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) went further, saying that the millions being sent to Palestine must “now be stopped immediately”.
The suspension of German financial support to Palestine comes as Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in order to reaffirm Berlin’s support for Israel and its right to self-defence against the “barbaric attacks” from Hamas. Scholz is also expected to speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to seek Cairo’s help in mediating a peaceful end to the conflict.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Scholz condemned the pro-Palestine celebrations in Berlin on Saturday evening, saying: “We do not accept it when the hideous attacks against Israel are celebrated here on our streets… The suffering, the destruction and the death of so many people cannot be a cause for joy for anyone.”
The Palestinian terror attack happened on the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, the final day of the annual High Holy Day cycle. According to the latest estimates from the Israeli government, as reported by The Times of Israel, more than 600 people have been killed by Hamas since Saturday, in addition to over 2,000 wounded and more than 100 taken hostage.
WATCH: Pro-Palestinian Groups ‘Party’ and Dance in London amid Deadly Terror Attacks in Israelhttps://t.co/LE9MTRqaxZ
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 8, 2023
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