A day before German Chancellor Angela Merkel's fourth government was sworn in Wednesday, it emerged that over the past 12 years under Merkel, Germany has significantly increased its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees and to the Palestinian Authority.
The information surfaced in the government's reply to a query from the deputy leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, Beatrix von Storch, who in a recent interview with Israel Hayom promised to look into German government aid to the Palestinians and raise the matter for debate.
According to the government, German aid to UNRWA increased from €3 million ($4 million) in 2005 to €56 million ($69 million) in 2017, when the U.S. announced it would be cutting Palestinian aid.
In certain years, increased German financial support for the Palestinians came at the request of Israel, in an attempt to create more comfortable conditions for peace negotiations.
The governmental response to Von Storch's query defended UNRWA, which has been accused of using materials that incite against Israel in its schools.
Von Storch told Israel Hayom, "While Merkel claims to be fighting anti-Semitism, the German government, by providing funds to UNRWA, is promoting the hatred of Jews and of Israel at the German taxpayers' expense. This is a political scandal. This support for UNRWA should be revoked."
