In context of recent clashes erupted between Israel and the Hamas groups. The European Commission announced Monday that it has planned to stop the development aid to Palestine.
E.U. Commissioner for Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi said that the E.U. executive body, which is the biggest donor to Palestine, put a hold on its “full development portfolio” of 691 million euros ($729 million).
“The level of conflict and number of casualties would be a turning point to decide regarding the future aid to Palestine,” Varhelyi asserted.
Due to the high degree of clashes between warring sides, the business can not go as usual now, he added.
It is specifically mentioned that in an another move, Spain disagreed with the E.U. decision to cut the aid payments being provided to Palestine.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Jose Manuel Albares, called European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and said that he disagrees with this decision of the European Union,” Albares called for this to be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of European foreign ministers.
It is to be noted that the Gaza-belt resistance group called ,Hamas launched a deadly operation, namely Al-Aqsa Flood, against Israel early Saturday, firing with thousands of rockets towards the internal area of southern Israel.
Hamas said the surprise attack by them was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence against the innocent Palestinian people.
On another side, In retaliatory action, the Israeli army launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip with full might.
At least 800 Israelis have been killed and over 2,300 others wounded in the fighting so far, as per the statement issued by the Israeli Health Ministry.
On the contrary Palestinian Health Ministry said that over 560 Palestinians died and over 2,900 were wounded in an ongoing conflict.
Gaza has been under a brutal Israeli blockade since 2007, which has affected livelihood in the seaside enclave to a larger extent. Moreover, the United nation also called that Israeli occupation is making Palestinian territories an open-air prison.
Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied territories, told reporters in Geneva a few months ago that Israel had carried out widespread, planned and arbitrary detention of Palestinians since the 1967 Middle East war.
The only name that can be given to anti-Palestine activities of Israel against Palestine is that Israel just wants to convert enclave occupation as an open-air prison for Palestinians,” Albanese said at a briefing for journalists.
“Israel is running away from the peace pact, terming the whole population of the Palestine terrorists. Palestinians are presumed guilty without evidence, arrested without warrants, detained without charge or trial very often, and subjected to cruelty in Israeli custody.”