The federal government provides aid to the Palestinians in the amount of 340 million euros
Severe criticism of Chancellor Schulz’s late reaction
A scandal broke out in the Federal Chancellery: In the presence of the Federal Chancellor, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas put the Holocaust into perspective. Olaf Schultz didn’t say anything about this at first, but he only said it later on Twitter. This is now subject to heavy criticism.
After the Holocaust scandal by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a press conference with Chancellor Olaf Schulz, calls were raised for the consequences of German aid payments. But the promises still stand.
DrThe German government has pledged more than 340 million euros to the Palestinians for humanitarian and development aid for the years 2021 and 2022. A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Berlin told the German news agency German Foreign Ministry and Development Administration. There is no direct funding to the Palestinian Authority by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation.
Against the background of the Holocaust scandal by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a joint press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Social Democratic Party) on Tuesday, calls for the consequences of German aid payments are loud.
The head of the German-Israeli Association, Volker Beck, demanded financial consequences from Abbas’s “disgraceful performance”: Germany should make its donations to the Palestinian Authority on the basis of rewards paid to anti-Israel terrorists there. Germany is one of the largest donors to the Palestinians. Abbas accused Israel of committing multiple “holocausts” against the Palestinians, sparking outrage.
Secretary of State Annalina Barbuk (Green Party) visited first Israel and then the Palestinian Territories as part of her inaugural trips in mid-February. She also met Abbas in Ramallah. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry stated that there are no plans for further Palestinian visits to Germany. “The same applies to high-profile trips to the Palestinian territories.” However, working contacts with the Palestinian authorities have not changed.
This is how money is divided
According to the information, the German Foreign Ministry is expected to provide a total of 72 million euros to the population of the Palestinian territories in 2022. Of this amount, 65 million euros have been allocated for humanitarian aid. In 2021, the total amount was about 94 million euros.
According to the information provided, the Ministry of Development (BMZ) recently allocated a total of €100 million for bilateral development cooperation projects in September 2021. These commitments for multi-year projects cover a two-year period, i.e. 2021 and 2022. The projects will be implemented through German implementing organizations. The political partners of the individual projects are the relevant ministries in the Palestinian Authority.
The BMZ has also pledged €57 million for multi-year projects in the Palestinian Territories for non-governmental development cooperation in 2021 through structural transition aid. In addition, in 2021, projects were supported within the framework of partnerships of municipalities, churches, political institutions and NGOs in the amount of about 20 million euros, according to the spokesperson.
