German conservative party freezes aid for West Bank

A conservative party in Germany's governing coalition said Friday it would temporarily block aid promised to the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank over concerns the cash could be used against Israel.

Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) had pledged 30 million euros ($35 million) for the Palestinian Authority after a trip to the region last month.

But Alexander Hoffmann, parliamentary leader of the conservative CSU party, told the Bild newspaper the party wanted further "clarification".

Hoffmann's spokesman confirmed to AFP news agency his comments that "humanitarian help is important, but it must be clear which concrete projects the money will be used for before the funds are approved".

"Projects that endanger Israel's security must be excluded."

German government sources said the money would be used to pay the salaries of healthcare and education workers and be disbursed under an EU-run mechanism.

The CSU is the Bavarian counterpart to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU and has been among Israel's staunchest supporters in Germany, while the SPD has been somewhat more critical.

Sources within the coalition told AFP that the CSU was holding up approval of the money in parliament.

Merz's spokesman Sebastian Hille said the government had "a common position" on the issue but had to wait for parliamentary approval.

He said he was confident that "the question can be sorted out between the coalition's MPs".

A development ministry spokeswoman underlined that the funds were intended to ease the dire financial situation the Palestinian Authority has been in since Israel stopped transferring revenues from taxes on goods destined for Authority-controlled areas.

"Public services such as healthcare have been seriously restricted and the school year hasn't started on time," she said.