(May 21, 2020 / JNS) The European Union has come under fire by the government of Israel, Jewish advocacy groups, and members of the European parliament for a letter issued by the senior E.U. diplomat overseeing the disputed territories.
These groups are concerned that the letter allows for Palestinian NGOs to receive E.U. funding even if they employ individuals affiliated with E.U.-designated terrorist groups.
Daniel Schwammenthal, director of the Brussels-based American Jewish Committee’s Transatlantic Institute, is leading an effort to confront the European Union about the matter.
“It is shocking, to say the least, that the E.U.’s top representative in Ramallah told Palestinian NGOs that the idea that they were asked to break ties with terrorists to receive E.U. funding was nothing but ‘misinformation,’ ” he said. “For an E.U. official to apparently adopt the language of Palestinian hardliners, who routinely refer to support for and membership with terror groups as ‘legitimate political positions and affiliations,’ is nothing short of breathtaking.”
Read the rest here.
