A €30m ($35.2m) emergency payment to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Berlin had planned to announce alongside European allies’ recognition of a Palestinian state next week, has been delayed after scepticism from legislators, according to Bild.
The one-off payment was intended to cover salaries for teachers and healthcare workers at a time when Israel is withholding customs and import taxes it collects on behalf of the PA. Palestinian officials say Israel has blocked around $3bn in revenues, leaving the Authority in a financial crisis that has already delayed the start of the school year.
Germany’s development minister, Reem Alabali Radovan, agreed the payment during a recent Middle East trip, with the backing of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Social Democrat deputy, Lars Klingbeil. But the Bundestag’s budget committee must sign off on the funds.
“We need more clarity,” Alexander Hoffmann, a conservative committee member, told Bild. “Humanitarian aid is important, but it has to be clear what projects are being funded. Projects that endanger Israel’s security have to be clearly excluded.”
Officials said the aid was still likely to go through once lawmakers’ concerns were addressed. Juergen Hardt, a senior conservative and foreign affairs committee member, added: “We must make sure the money doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. But once that’s done, there are very good reasons for this aid.”
Germany, unlike allies such as Britain and France, is not expected to recognise a Palestinian state, maintaining its historic support for Israel. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of plans to militarily occupy Gaza nearly two years after the Hamas incursion has sharpened Berlin’s tone.
Merz said in Madrid on Thursday that Israel’s actions in Gaza were “not proportionate” and signalled openness to EU sanctions against Israel.
