The Progress Party (FRP) demanded a budget cut of NOK 30 million to the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority (PA) during negotiations with the government.
Aid to Palestinian territories will be cut by NOK 10 million, while aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) will be cut by NOK 20 million.
The FRP reached an agreement on the issue with the governing parties in the budget negotiations this week.
Total Norwegian aid to the Palestinians was NOK 615.9 million last year, according to newspaper Dagen.
“The FRP has a generally critical view of the effect of Norwegian aid, but we are particularly critical of the aid to the Palestinians,” parliamentary representative Himanshu Gulati (FRP) told Dagen.
Use of money
Gulati referred to new figures from the Israeli authorities, which show that the Palestinians spend NOK 1.6 billion annually on remunerating Palestinians convicted of terrorism and their families.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly denied that Norwegian assistance goes to Palestinian prisoners or convicted terrorists.
“The budget support from Norway goes to the World Bank’s multi-donor fund. The World Bank Fund complies with high international standards for transparency and control over the use of money,” State Secretary Audun Halvorsen (H) said.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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