Israel and the Palestinian Authority hold the key to preventing a humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territories, according to the EU commissioner for external relations.
“The key to preventing a humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territories lies with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, not the international community,” Benita-Ferrero Waldner said Wednesday.
“A real problem now is Israel withholding Palestinian customs and tax revenues. These are Palestinian taxes which people have already paid. Withholding them means that basic services won’t be delivered, salaries cannot be paid, and families will suffer,” she said during a European Parliament meeting in Brussels.
“The international community must intensify its diplomatic efforts with Israel on these two issues,” she added.
Two weeks ago, EU foreign ministers endorsed the Commission’s decision to temporarily freeze assistance to, or through, the Palestinian government and its ministries.
The Commission’s action was a “precautionary measure” taken to ensure that no EU funds pass into the hands of Hamas, which has until now refused to renounce violence, recognise Israel and commit itself to peace talks.
Decision not final
The EU suspended aid to the Palestinian Authority under the new Hamas-led government, although it continues to send millions of dollars indirectly, in the form of humanitarian assistance.
“The heart of the matter is the emergence of a Palestinian Authority whose government is led by members of an organisation included in the EU terrorist list and that continues, to this day, to attempt to justify suicide bombings in Israel,” Ferrero-Waldner said.
She said however that this is “not a final decision”. “We are currently reviewing all projects involving payments to or through the Palestinian Authority to see whether we can find alternative solutions.”
The foreign minister of the Hamas-led Palestinian government said Tuesday that the European Union was split over withholding aid.
He claimed France, Switzerland, Norway and Italy were against withholding aid and were supported in that by Russia.
Oslo peace talks
Meanwhile, the president of the Palestine National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has called for Norway’s government to organise an international conference aimed at discussing the Israel-Palestine conflict.
"The meeting should be held as soon as possible to set negotiations between both parties, based on resolutions within the bounds of the international law," he added during a speech at the Nobel Institute in Oslo.
Israel has reacted coolly to Abbas declarations, saying a peace plan exists, but that Hamas refuses to accept it.
Abbas is currently on a tour of Europe. After a stop in Finland, the country which will take over the six-month rotating EU presidency in July, Abbas was due to travel to Paris. for talks with French president Jacques Chirac.
Speaking at a conference on European-Arab relations, earlier this week, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste Blazy said France remains convinced that assistance to the Palestinian authority must continue, so as not to sanction the Palestinian people.