Sweden suspends development aid to Palestinians

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (not seen), EU enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi (not seen) and Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Trade and International Development Cooperation Johan Forssell hold a joint press conference after International Donors Conference for Turkiye and Syria, organized by the EU Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council, in Brussels, Belgium on 20 March 2023 [Dursun Aydemir – Anadolu Agency]

The Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation, Johan Forssell, said in a press conference yesterday that his country will temporarily suspend development aid to the Palestinian territories following the surprise attack by the Palestinian resistance on Israel on Saturday.

European Union foreign ministers met yesterday to address disagreements among their 27 member countries over whether to continue providing aid payments to the Palestinians. This came a day after the European Commission reversed its decision to suspend all such aid.

The U-turn came after member states including Spain and France said they opposed the suspension announced by Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi on Monday.

Spain’s acting Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Madrid opposed the proposed suspension, arguing that Palestinian territories are likely to need more aid in the near future as a result of Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Denmark, Sweden’s neighbour, announced that it would halt aid.

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