Austria ends its suspension of aid to Palestinians

On Thursday, Austria announced that it had lifted the suspension of aid to the Palestinians, which it declared two days after the attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7th.

The suspension was implemented pending a review, and the Austrian authorities found no evidence of the funds being used to finance terrorism or promote it.

Shortly after Austria's announcement on October 9th that it would freeze its aid pending a review, Germany also stated that it was reconsidering its assistance to the Palestinians.

The European Union ordered a special review, and last month, it stated that there was no evidence that the funds were going to Hamas and that the aid would continue.

In a press release, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "There is no indication that Austrian development projects funded by the Austrian Development Agency have been misused to finance or promote terrorism or to disseminate content against Semitism."

It added that nine projects funded by Austria, totaling 17.5 million euros (18.8 million dollars), underwent the review.

The statement did not specify the percentage of projects located in the West Bank under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority.

The recently ruling conservative People's Party in Austria, which leads the governing coalition, has positioned the country, known for its primarily neutral stance, among the EU member states more supportive of Israel.

Reuters