A conservative party within Germany’s ruling coalition unveiled on September 19, that it would temporarily stop aid pledged to the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank over concerns that the funds might be misused against Israeli interests, according to Reuters.
After an official visit to the Palestinian territories in August, Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) had pledged €30 million ($35 million) in support for the Palestinian Authority.
However, Alexander Hoffmann, the parliamentary leader of the conservative CSU party, told Bild newspaper that the party is seeking more “clarification” before approving the funds.
“Humanitarian help is important, but it must be clear which concrete projects the money will be used for before the funds are approved.”
“Projects that endanger Israel’s security must be excluded,” Hoffmann’s spokesman said.
Notably, the money is intended to cover the salaries of healthcare and education workers and would be distributed through an EU-run mechanism.
Germany firmly announced that it would not recognize the Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, according to Reuters.
A German government spokesperson revealed that his country’s top priority now is to make “long-overdue progress” towards a two-state solution.
“Israel’s security is of paramount importance to the German government,” said the spokesperson. “The German government therefore has no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.”
Overall, Germany’s position on Israel in the context of the Gaza war is deeply shaped by its sense of special responsibility to atone for the Holocaust, during which six million European Jews were killed under Hitler’s regime between 1933 and 1945.
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