EU expected to continue with Palestinian aid
European Union foreign ministers are expected to continue providing millions of euros in aid for much-needed funds to the Palestinian caretaker government today.
The EU ministers’ meeting in Brussels is not expected to decide on what the 25-nation bloc will do once the Hamas-led government takes control of the Palestinian Authority.
Options for the EU include offering £27m (€39.6m) in new aid to help run utilities such as power supply an waste collection, and authorising the World Bank to unblock around £34m (€50m) to pay the salaries of Palestinian Authority employees.
Aid is urgently needed after Israel’s decision to withhold £28m (€41m) a month in tax funds following Hamas’ election victory.
The EU and the US have called on Hamas to recognise Israel, renounce violence and back peace efforts if it wants its new government to receive aid.
Both Washington and the EU consider Hamas a terrorist group, but there is concern that the Palestinian Authority will collapse into chaos without international aid. Western diplomats are also worried that Iran could step in to fill a funding gap, further radicalising the Palestinians and reducing Western influence.
The EU is considering diverting aid from a Hamas-led government to the office of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, but they fear that could lead to a backlash from voters who overwhelming rejected Abbas’ Fatah movement.
The problem was further exacerbated after Abbas said on Saturday that he would resign if peace talks with Israel remained stalled after last month’s Hamas electoral victory. He urged the international community to give Hamas a chance.
Today’s EU talks will also focus on Iran’s nuclear programme, recent events in Iraq and efforts to improve relations with the Muslim world in wake of the Prophet Mohammad cartoon crisis.
EU ministers are also expected to issue a warning to Serbia that failure to arrest fugitive Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic would disrupt talks designed to prepare Serbia-Montenegro for eventual membership of the European bloc.
