The European Union (EU) and its member states are among the largest donors to Gaza and the Palestinian territories. This support is justified by humanitarian concerns, the desire to promote stability, and the EU’s traditional role as the main international partner in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet, this assistance is neither without controversy nor without challenges: questions of corruption, misuse of funds, and the lack of political reforms weigh heavily. The largest recipients of European aid are UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority. But there are some questions to be raised here.

UNRWA and its Controversies 

A large share of European support flows through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). However, UNRWA has long been controversial. It has been criticized for allowing its schools to use textbooks containing hate speech and antisemitic content, for enabling Hamas to use its infrastructure, and most recently for the active involvement of some of its employees in the horrific October 7 pogrom against Israeli civilians (See also the featured picture).

Furthermore, it has already become clear that UNRWA is not the solution to the Palestinian problem, but rather its embodiment, as it does everything to avoid providing a solution—since its very existence depends on the problem continuing.

These facts have cast a dark shadow over the credibility of the organization. 

The Palestinian Authority 

Besides UNRWA, the European Union also channels support to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Yet the PA itself is far from uncontroversial: it has not held national elections in well over a decade, operates largely as a corrupt patronage network serving its loyalists, and continues to lose legitimacy among Palestinians.

Self-enrichment and nepotism at the top of the Palestinian Authority has always been common practice. It is well known that Arafat (and his descendants) became billionaires, and the same applies to the current PA leadership—all funded with money from Western donors.

International financial support thus often sustains a status quo of stagnation rather than stimulating genuine reform. And then they even use the European money for the controversial ‘Martyrs’ salaries’: these are monthly payments made by the Palestinian Authority to the families of Palestinians who........

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