EU foreign ministers have reversed the decision by the European Commission to suspend payments to the Palestinian Authority, after an emergency meeting in Oman.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief diplomat, said the “overwhelming majority” of EU states were in favour of continued support, adding the funds would “not be cancelled”.
He also said some of Israel’s actions in response to the Hamas attack at the weekend breached international law. Israel has launched airstrikes from land and sea on the Gaza Strip and pledged to enforce a total siege on the densely populated territory.
“Israel has the right to defend [itself] but it has to be done accordingly with international law, humanitarian law, and some decisions are contrary to international law,” Borrell said after a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Muscat.
“Some of the actions – and the United Nations has already said that – [such] as cutting water, cutting electricity, cutting food to a mass of civilian people is against international law,” Borrell said.
Tuesday’s decision to maintain funding came after the EU was forced to backpedal after the commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, unexpectedly declared that the 27-nation bloc was immediately suspending “all payments” to the Palestinians. The Hungarian commissioner has long been a critic of aspects of EU aid to Palestine, but it appears he acted without any legal authority or sufficient political support.
The episode is understood to have infuriated Borrell, who said on Tuesday that the EU would be able to review donations to ensure there was no “leakage” of money to Hamas.
But some EU states have decided to suspend their national contributions pending an investigation. Denmark and Sweden announced they were suspending Palestinian development aid but maintaining humanitarian assistance following the Hamas militant group’s attack on Israel.
The government in Copenhagen said in a statement it had “decided to put Danish development assistance to Palestine on hold”.
“A thorough review will be conducted to ensure that no Danish funding is misused to indirectly support terrorist organisations that attack Israel,” it said. The review will be conducted “in close dialogue with Denmark’s partners in the EU and the Nordic countries”.
For 2023, Denmark had earmarked humanitarian and development aid totalling 235.5m kroner ($33.5m) for the Palestinian territories. About 72m kroner of development aid has yet to be disbursed. “It is this assistance that is now being put on hold,” the statement said.
Sweden also said it was suspending development aid but did not provide any immediate details on the amount.
The German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said that like the European Commission, Germany regularly reviewed its assistance for the Palestinian territories.
“In this emergency situation we are once again scrutinising not only our development cooperation but also our humanitarian assistance, in close consultation with the United Nations,” she said. “We agree, however, that it would be quite wrong at this point in time to halt vital humanitarian assistance for the civilian population. Millions of people, including many children, in the Palestinian territories depend on us for the provision of food, water and medicines.”
The EU decision came after Gulf leaders issued a joint statement with the EU after a meeting in Muscat calling for aid not to be suspended. The statement “stressed the importance of sustained financial support for UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestinians) , the Palestinian Authority, and for the humanitarian and development needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
The UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, said humanitarian relief and vital services and supplies to Gaza must not be blocked.
Speaking from New York, he added: “The whole region is at a tipping point. The violence must stop. My message to all sides is unequivocal: the laws of war must be upheld.
“Those held captive must be treated humanely. Hostages must be released without delay. Throughout hostilities, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. Civilians must be allowed to leave for safer areas.”