The Acting Foreign Minister of Spain, Jose Manuel Albares, voiced Spain’s opposition to the proposed suspension of European Union aid to the Palestinian territories. He emphasized that given recent events, the Palestinian territories would likely require increased aid, following the Saturday attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with Spanish radio Cadena SER, Albares stated, “This cooperation must continue; we cannot confuse Hamas, which is on the EU’s list of terrorist groups, with the Palestinian population, or the Palestinian Authority or the United Nations’ organizations on the ground.”
The issue will be discussed by EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, prompted by European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi’s announcement on Monday that all payments had been suspended. However, the European Commission contradicted Varhelyi’s statement, clarifying that payments were not suspended but were under review concerning aid to the Palestinian Territories.
While some countries, like Austria, have declared the end of funding to the Palestinian territories, Spain believes that maintaining the flow of aid is essential for the well-being of the civilian population. Albares argued that suspending aid would be “counterproductive.”
In a separate interview with TV channel Antena 3, Minister Albares mentioned that Spain was making preparations to deploy a military plane for the evacuation of Spanish citizens who wished to leave Israel. Several international airlines have already reduced or suspended flight services to Tel Aviv, impacting hundreds of flights. Spanish airlines, including IAG-owned Iberia and Vueling, canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Sunday, while Air Europa canceled a scheduled flight to Israel on Tuesday and planned to assess whether to resume flights starting Wednesday.
