Knesset speaker asks European Parliament chief to condition Palestinian funding on ending incitement

Arriving in the Knesset ahead of her speech to the plenum this evening, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola meets with Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy, who asks Metsola “to condition donations to the Palestinian Authority upon the cessation of incitement.”

The European Union provides the PA with about €214 million in annual aid, and the EP is one of the EU’s legislative bodies.

Levy emphasizes to Metsola the seriousness of incitement among Palestinians, especially in the context of the recent terror wave that has so far killed 19 people.

“For about two months, Israel has been in the midst of a wave of terrorism fueled by severe incitement against Jews and against Israel,” Levy says. “Unfortunately, it connects to institutionalized and permanent incitement that we are witnessing in textbooks in the Palestinian Authority that are also funded by the European Union.”

Metsola, who took office in January and whose trip to Israel marks her first official visit outside the EU, is expected to address the Knesset plenum at 6 p.m. today.