BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) has announced that it will continue to provide substantial amount of financial assistance to Palestinians after a probe found that no money has been diverted to the Hamas, Western media reported on Tuesday.
EU’s executive branch said the review of the use of hundreds of millions of euros to help the Palestinians fight poverty was announced on October 9.
EU countries have long been divided in their approach to Israel and the Palestinians but the war in Gaza has increased those divisions.
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European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told media that the review of the financial assistance found no indications of EU money benefited Hamas.
The 27-nation EU is the world’s biggest provider of financial assistance to the Palestinians. Almost 1.2 billion euros have been allocated for 2021-2024.
According to the commission it had screened over 100 projects worth 331 million euros. It added that 88 percent of contracts benefiting the Palestinians have been cleared. It further said that it is seeking details from some NGOs and their allies about how the remaining 12 percent is being tackled.
