ALBAWABA - In a statement released earlier, the Spanish acting Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares said that the EU's suspension of aid to the Palestinian territories will backfire and the consequences are going to be unprecedented.
Also, Spain’s acting deputy prime minister Yolanda Diaz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: "This decision is outrageous, it’s an authentic betrayal by Europe of its own founding principles,".
"The European Commission must rectify and Europe must lead an international action for peace, not punish an entire people" Diaz added.
Earlier, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, declared that all payments to Palestine from Europe, the country's largest contributor, had been frozen immediately, and all budget plans have been postponed until further notice.
Spain's Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, reportedly called Varhely to express his "disagreement" with the announcement. He also stated that he and the other foreign ministers were not informed of the decision until it was revealed.
Albares is said to have requested the EU's foreign policy leader, Josep Borrell, to put the funding freezing measure up for debate at the bloc's emergency meeting of foreign ministers on Tuesday.
Irish government sources also told Europapress that they disagreed with the EU's decision to suspend financing and that the council lacked the "legal basis" to act alone.
UPDATE
The European Union backtracked in disarray on Monday on an announcement that aid to Palestinians had been suspended in response to the attack on Israel by Hamas after EU countries complained the bloc's executive had overstepped the mark, Reuters reported.
