The Palestinian Authority's senior contacts with the countries of the world in recent days, it turns out, are not just about tensions in Jerusalem and al-Aqsa events.
Israel Today has learned that in light of the deteriorating economic situation in the territories, the Palestinian Authority is concentrating diplomatic efforts at the highest levels vis-à-vis the Europeans.
The pressure is intended to receive as soon as possible the annual financial assistance, estimated at several hundred million euros, which the European Union is supposed to transfer to them.
Aid has been delayed for some time due to the position of the Hungarian representative and several other countries in the union, which have been demanding since the Palestinians since last year to change their curriculum as a condition for receiving aid.
The Hungarian representative, Oliver Varhli, recently visited Ramallah and raised the demand at his meetings to make changes to Palestinian textbooks, claiming that some of them include anti-Israel content.
Another demand raised by several countries in the union concerns the introduction of reforms in Palestinian institutions in exchange for the transfer of funding.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen, his spokesman called the move: "Attack on the Palestinian people // Photo: EPA,
The delay of the Europeans comes at an unsuccessful time for the leadership in Ramallah.
Especially in the days when Hamas is getting stronger, the PA needs money more than ever.
Both to stop further erosion of its status and to prevent unrest in the field.
This is why in Ramallah they are dissatisfied with the procrastination.
Senior PA leaders have been sending clear messages to Europeans in this spirit in recent days.
"We will not agree to conditional assistance," a senior Palestinian official told Israel Today.
"We are in contact these days with the representatives of the union in Brussels," he explains, "there are obstacles on the way to the approval of the budget and we explain that the union should oppose the racist position of the Hungarian representative. We will not starve, but there is no reason not to get the money."
Palestinian sources claim that the delay in transferring the money could expose the PA to severe economic hardship, one of the consequences of which is difficulty in paying the salaries of officials.
The debate within the EU has not yet been resolved, but there are countries that oppose Hungary's conditions and support the transfer of aid.
This is exactly what the Palestinians are building on, and that is where they are now directing their efforts.
"We expect the countries that support us to put pressure on more countries in the union, so that the way can be paved to approve the budget," the senior official said.
The Palestinians estimate that the union will not allow the authority to collapse economically and will eventually find the mechanism for approving the budget and passing it in the near future.
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