The director of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, Jens-Christian Wagner, calls for a sense of proportion in the debate about cuts in financial aid for the Palestinian territories. “I think it is wrong to stop all help for the Palestinians,” the historian told the German Press Agency on Monday. “That doesn’t do justice to the complexity of the situation there.” After the Islamist Hamas attack on Israel, there were calls for an end to financial aid for the Palestinian territories. The Thuringian CDU chairman Mario Voigt also made such a demand on the short message service X (formerly Twitter).
The Federal Development Ministry announced on Sunday that it wanted to review its entire commitment to the region. Wagner advocated continuing the aid. “But you have to look closely.” Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) said on Sunday: “We have been careful to ensure that our support for the people in the Palestinian territories serves peace and not terrorists. But these attacks on Israel are a terrible turning point.”
When reviewing the aid, it wants to coordinate primarily with Israel and other international partners. According to Schulze, German development commitments for the Palestinian territories currently total 250 million euros. According to the ministry, the Palestinian Authority, which is opposed to Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, the USA and Israel, is not funded.
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