Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Oliver Dowden, has announced that Britain is reevaluating its development aid to the Palestinians following the recent attack by Hamas on Israel, according to the French Press Agency.
Dowden told “ITV News” on Monday, “We are currently reviewing our aid. We are undergoing a very strict process in assessing the type of assistance we provide.”
He added, “It is also very important for us to understand that we should not lump Hamas terrorists in Gaza who carried out these attacks with the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people.”
Dowden continued, “It is crucial that we make that distinction. But of course, we will look into the aid.”
The British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, responsible for managing foreign development aid, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The United Kingdom had allocated £17 million (approximately $21 million) from its foreign development aid budget for the fiscal year 2023-2024 to support the Palestinians, according to a report released in July by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
It is expected that this budget will increase to £29 million in the fiscal year 2024-2025, according to the document.
Dowden’s remarks come as the European Commission announced that it is “reevaluating” its support program for Palestinians worth €691 million.
Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, along with other Palestinian factions in Gaza, inaugurated the military operation “Al-Aqsa Storm” against the occupation in the early hours of the past Saturday. This operation is a retaliation against continuous assaults by Israeli forces and settlers against the Palestinian people, their properties, and their sanctities, most notably the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.
In light of this bleak scenario, the global and regional actors are urged to broker and enforce peace, safeguard civilians, and facilitate humanitarian efforts to prevent further loss and destabilization in the historically and geopolitically sensitive region.
