RAMALLAH _ Palestine News Network
Minister of Foreign Affairs and expatriates Riyad al-Maliki welcomed the results of a vote by the European Parliament overwhelmingly on Wednesday against the proposal to reduce European aid to the education sector in Palestine.
At the same time, the minister charged that the Parliament had adopted another resolution calling for additional European assistance to UNRWA, arguing that the overthrow of the draft resolution to reduce aid to the national authority was an important step in confirming the EU´s renewed commitment to the peace process, the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine Its capital is Al-Quds Al-Sharif on the basis of the resolutions of international legitimacy, the Arab peace plan and the terms of reference of the peace process.
The vote in favor of a parallel resolution calling for an increase in EU assistance to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) worth an additional €22 million this year is a clear message against the US administration´s attempts to circumvent the peace process and its bias towards Israel, the occupying Power, and its commitment The European Union to defend UNRWA and strengthen its capacity to continue to provide assistance to our people at home and in the diaspora, and to enable the agency to cope with the financial crisis caused by the withdrawal of US support.
"The vote of the parliament by an overwhelming majority today represents a referendum on the commitment of the representatives of the European peoples to the right of our people to self-determination, the establishment of our independent State and the fairness of our cause, and represents a message of support for the steadfastness and response of our people to Israel´s demolition and displacement policies.
He noted that the Parliament´s position represents a total failure of Israeli diplomacy and its lobby organizations, which are leading a campaign against the national authority by falsely reporting to the Federation institutions on so-called incitement in Palestinian education programs.
An Israeli organization called "Enpact ", working with a group of German lawmakers, passed a resolution in the Budget Committee on September 9, September, calling for the seizure of 20 million euros from the Union´s assistance to our Palestinian people on the pretext of inciting against Israel in textbooks, and encouraging What he called violence and anti-Semitism.
As soon as the decision was adopted by the Budget Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began giving directives to the competent authorities to thwart Israeli moves aimed at trapping the national authority by cutting European aid.
The Ministry, in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education, organized a meeting with the Budget committee, summoned academics and experts and provided the members of the Committee with the necessary reports and the disclosure of the fraud carried out by the Israeli "Anpact" organization, and the lack of validity of the reports submitted to the Committee Budget, which pushed members of Parliament to retreat and vote overwhelmingly today to drop the Budget Committee´s proposal.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs commended the performance of the mission of Palestine in the European Union and its urgent action, holding intensive meetings with members of Parliament over the past weeks in Brussels and Strasbourg, and working to hold consultations with the heads of major political blocs and influential members of Parliament, especially with Chairman of the Budget Committee and Rapporteur of the Committee, which led to the mobilization of a large number of deputies who voted against the decision aimed at reserving part of the Union´s assistance to the authority and voting in favour of the decision to increase European aid to UNRWA.
