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Photo: AFP
Mideast conflict's wallet
Op-ed: European governments funding Palestinian annihilation campaign against State of Israel
BERLIN – Before going on their end-of-the-year vacation, the heads of the Dutch Foreign Ministry were asked to respond to a series of questions from members of parliament's foreign affairs committee regarding their office's budget for 2013. The procedure is routine, but this time the members of parliament asked questions regarding the essence of the financial aid the Dutch government has been granting the Palestinian Authority and the refugee organization UNRWA for decades.
The Foreign Ministry heads managed to dodge the questions about the continued funneling of funds collected from the tax payers to the Palestinians, through various channels, despite the continued terror activity and anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incitement. They also avoided answering questions regarding the perpetuation of the refugee problem by assisting UNRWA.
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So, the Dutch, like the rest of their European colleagues, will continue to finance the continuation of the Israeli-Arab conflict next year as well – despite their mounting economic problems.
The European Union prides itself on being the single largest donor to the Palestinians. According to official data, between the years 1994 (beginning of implementation of the Oslo Accords) and 2011 the EU transferred five billion euros to the Palestinians. Additional funds were transferred to the Palestinians by national and private European bodies in various frameworks. Members of the European Parliament failed in their repeated attempts to determine how these funds were used and whether they were used to finance terror and incitement against Jews and Israel. An internal report drafted by the European Union on the matter was shelved.
There is no need for an in-depth investigation in order to draw the following conclusions:
1) The European Union, including all its member states and the organizations that are funded by it, is the main contributor to the process in which the Palestinian nation is becoming chronically dependent on foreign aid.
2) Europe is actively supporting a policy that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem, which the Arab countries are trying to take advantage of in order to bring about the demise of the State of Israel.
3) The Europeans are supporting the Palestinians while completely disregarding the Palestinians' lack of commitment to the "two-state" solution and their refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state - despite the fact that UN resolutions obligate them to do so. Furthermore, European governments continue to transfer funds to the Palestinians despite being well-aware that the Palestinian Authority – which is headed by Fatah and Hamas – is educating generations of young people to continue the struggle against Israel until it is annihilated. And all this while social and economic chaos threatens the entire Old Continent.
Now Europe is intervening in the Israeli elections by issuing threats and condemnations in order to secure the establishment of a Palestinian state in the near future, despite the Palestinians' refusal to negotiate with the elected Israeli government. By becoming a patron of the Palestinian annihilation campaign against Israel, Europe is knowingly joining Israel's enemies. If and when a third intifada breaks out, it will be Europe's fault, and the Israeli public must internalize this.
