Deutschland Despite the scandal

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.

You can listen to the WELT podcast here

To view embedded content, your revocable consent to the transfer and processing of personal data is required, since such consent is required by embedded content providers as third-party providers [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the toggle switch to “On”, you agree to this (which can be revoked at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the United States of America, in accordance with Article 49(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You can find more information about this. You can withdraw your consent at any time via the toggle and via Privacy at the bottom of the page.

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.

Read also

Opinion Abbas scandal in the Chancellery

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.

Read also

WELT author Florian Sadler

Opinion Abbas’ scandalous statements

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.

See also  Giving councils five minutes before local closure confirmation notice | Policy