31/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - MEPs from across the political divide have warned about the risks of a sudden disruption in EU funding for the Palestinian Authority (see EUROPE 9120 on the position taken by the Council of the EU). The President of the Socialist group, Martin Schulz, said in Athens on Tuesday, where he was attending a meeting of the International Socialists attended by Israeli and Palestinian representatives, that the EU should continue to support the Palestinian people while ensuring the aid is properly used. In a press release, the German Social Democrat said: 'the EU cannot unconditionally continue to fund the Palestinian Authority. It is absolutely essential that Hamas renounce violence. Without that guarantee, funds will be stopped.' In the EPP-ED group, Markus Ferber made similar noises. In a press release, the CSU MEP said most EU funding for the Palestinian Territories was for humanitarian aims and that while better controls of how the funding was used were vital, it would be an inhuman error to want to punish Hamas by cutting funding for hospitals in the Palestinian Territories.