Israel on Sunday accused the European Union of a “certain incoherence” over its decision to boost aid to the Palestinians after Israel halted the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority. “This decision is symptomatic of a certain incoherence on the part of the EU, which considers Hamas a terrorist group but takes no precautions about the way the money is used,” a senior Israeli government official told AFP.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was responding to the EU’s decision to offer an additional 85 million euros ($121 million) in aid to the Palestinians, who have warned they face a salary crisis after Israel froze the transfer of tax revenues in the wake of a Fatah-Hamas unity agreement. Israel said it would withhold the transfer of some 60 million euros in revenues to the Palestinian Authority until it could be sure that the money would not go to Hamas.
The EU did not specifically say the new funds were intended to fill the gap created by Israel’s decision, but the announcement came after Palestinian officials warned they would not be able to pay salaries without new funds. The suspension of the revenue transfers has garnered domestic and international criticism, with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both publicly opposing the move.
