The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the disbursement of blocked funds to the Palestinian Authority during a visit to Ramallah on Tuesday 14 June.
“As Team Europe, we are the largest donor in Palestine with about €600 million per year. I am very pleased to announce that the EU funds for 2021 can be disbursed quickly. All the difficulties are gone”, she announced.
The Commission released the funds following the “overwhelming” approval of its new proposal by member states (see EUROPE 12930/7), according to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. He described the decision on Twitter as “fair treatment by the EU”.
The disbursement of funds was blocked by the Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy, Olivér Várhelyi. He wanted the disbursement to be conditional on the adjustment of Palestinian school books due to their allegedly antisemitic, racist content and incitement to hatred and violence (see EUROPE 12921/22). The disbursement ultimately does not include conditionality.
However, Mr Várhelyi announced that the Commission would fund a second study on Palestinian textbooks. “(We have) no tolerance for antisemitism, incitement to hatred and violence. Textbooks that go against them undermine peace and coexistence and have no place in the classroom. Fundamental principles are non-negotiable. Therefore, the Commission reserves the right to take appropriate measures, if necessary”, he warned on Twitter.
But a study by the Georg Eckert Institute in June 2021, requested by the European Commission, concluded that Palestinian textbooks met UNESCO standards, while identifying some exceptions that needed improvement. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)