“The Palestinian Authority is in a critical situation and is at risk of bankruptcy if EU funding is banned. As the (EU) High Representative I will not allow that,” Borrel said.

EU Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi announced last week that the European Commission will fund a second study of Palestinian textbooks to verify its content at the request of members of the European Parliament.

The European Parliament last week voted a resolution condemning the Palestinian Authority for inciting to violence, antisemitism, and hate in its school textbooks for the fourth consecutive year, insisting that the EU freeze its funding to the PA until its curriculum is aligned with UNESCO standards and hate is removed.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell protested against a possible ban on financial aid to the Palestinian Authority due to hateful and anti-Semitic content in Palestinian textbooks.

“The Palestinian Authority is in a critical situation and is at risk of bankruptcy if EU funding is banned. As the (EU) High Representative I will not allow that,” Borrell told Agence France Presse (AFP) last week in Stockholm, where participated in an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers.

The annual EU financial aid amounts to 300 million euros (around 320 million USD).

His statements are in opposition to EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargment, Oliver Varhelyi, who makes EU aid conditional to changes in the Palestinian textbooks. Varhelyi, whose department oversees all aid to the Palestinian Authority, wants to make sure thatb the EU is not funding Palestinian textbooks that incite against Israel.

He announced last week that the European Commission will fund a second study of Palestinian textbooks to verify its content at the request of members of the European Parliament.

The European Parliament has requested that the EU’s financial support to the Palestinian Authority in the field of education be subject to the condition that the contents of textbooks comply with UNESCO standards and that all anti-Semitic references and examples that incite hatred and violence be removed.

But Borrell opposes this conditionality. “This matter has already been dealt with by the European External Action Service with the Palestinian Authority. We don’t need a new study, or anything that would delay the payment of the financial aid that the Palestinian Authority needs.’’ he said.

“The payment of European aid faced delays two years ago, and it meant that people missed out on necessary help.

“There is no discussion about looking for excuses about blocking this financial aid. On this point I’m firm,” the 76-year-old added.

The funds for 2023 have yet to be transferred, with the payment coming under the jurisdiction of a collegiate decision by the Commission, an EU spokesperson said.

The European Parliament last week voted a resolution condemning the Palestinian Authority  for inciting to violence, antisemitism, and hate in its school textbooks for the fourth consecutive year, insisting that the EU freeze its funding to the PA until its curriculum is aligned with UNESCO standards and hate is removed.

The resolution was passed with a large majority of 421 in favor, 151 against, and 5 abstentions, with the support of the major center-left and center-right parties.

For the first time, an EU resolution explicitly links the drafting of PA textbooks it funds to ongoing Palestinian terrorism and, especially, to attacks perpetrated by young people. It acknowledges the existence of antisemitism and explicitly demands its removal. Previous resolutions mentioned incitement to violence without directly calling for the removal of antisemitism. The resolution reiterates a threat to withhold funding from the PA, should textbooks fail to align with UNESCO standards.

The resolution reiterates that hateful content “has still not been removed,” in contrast with repeated claims by the Palestinian Authority. It mentions repeated requests by the European Parliament to remove hateful content which has not been addressed.

and calls to “closely scrutinize” the PA in order for it to change its “full curriculum expeditiously.”

The EU Parliament vote was part of the annual oversight of the EU budget to scrutinize how European taxpayer funds have been spent through projects carried out by the EU.