Luxembourg, April 14 (EFE) – On Monday, Spanish Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister José Manuel Albares urged the European Commission (EC) to ensure that its financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people is delivered promptly, in full, and “without additional conditions.”
“The funds that the European Commission has proposed must be provided on time and should at least match last year’s contributions,” Albares stated to EFE during a Council of EU Foreign Ministers meeting focused on the Middle East situation.
The EC introduced a broad multiannual support initiative on Monday, proposing up to 1.6 billion euros to aid Palestine’s recovery and resilience efforts through 2027. This announcement coincided with a high-level dialogue with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Luxembourg, which will be attended by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa, with whom Albares is scheduled to meet bilaterally.
Most of the funding will be contingent on the PA’s progress in essential reforms related to fiscal sustainability, democratic governance, private sector growth, and public infrastructure and services.
“We must recognize that the Palestinian National Authority is navigating exceptionally challenging circumstances and is diligently implementing its reforms under immense pressure,” Albares remarked.
In this regard, the Spanish minister asserted that the European Union “should not exacerbate the situation; rather, it should assist the Palestinian National Authority.”
He conveyed to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Kaja Kallas, and European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica, that financial support for both the Palestinian National Authority and the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) must be delivered as planned, free from additional conditions.
Albares emphasized that the EU should express strong backing for a two-state solution and advocate for a realistic and viable Palestinian state that encompasses Gaza and the West Bank, with its capital in East Jerusalem.
“Given the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the escalating violence in the West Bank, it is imperative for the European Union and all European nations to raise their political voice decisively,” he stressed.
He underscored the gravity of the situation, stating that “50,000 Palestinian civilian deaths are more than sufficient,” and condemned attacks on humanitarian workers, hospitals, and schools, as witnessed in Gaza recently.
“This violence must cease; the assaults by settlers in the West Bank must also come to an end,” he concluded. (April 14)
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