2 sept 2018
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Pierre Krahenbuhl, expressed deep regret and disappointment on Saturday after the United States administration’s decision to end all funding to the agency.
Krahenbuhl wrote in an open letter "I express deep regret and disappointment at the nature of the US decision - which affects one of the most robust and rewarding partnerships in the humanitarian and development fields - and unreservedly reject its accompanying narrative."
He stressed "I wish to convey - with confidence and steadfast determination - to Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, that our operations will continue and our agency prevail."
"The funding decision of an individual member state - albeit our historically most generous and consistent donor - will not modify or impact the energy and passion with which we approach our role and responsibility towards Palestine refugees. It will only strengthen our resolve."
Krahenbuhl continued "All staff will be at their duty stations, and will keep our installations open and safe. It is crucial to project the strongest sense of unity and purpose."
"I am proud and honored to lead this dynamic agency and wish to pay tribute to the dozens of colleagues whose lives were lost in recent years, in particular in Gaza, Syria and the West Bank."
He emphasized "The need for humanitarian action arises from the extreme violence, pain, suffering and injustice caused by war. In the case of Palestine refugees, this was caused by forced displacement, dispossession, loss of homes and livelihoods, as well as by statelessness and occupation."
"No matter how often attempts are made to minimize or delegitimize the individual and collective experiences of Palestine refugees, the undeniable fact remains that they have rights under international law and represent a community of 5.4 million men, women and children who cannot simply be wished away."
Krahenbuhl made it clear that UNRWA is not to blame for the protracted nature of Palestinian refugees, their growing numbers, and the growth of needs, stressing "it lies squarely with the parties and in the international community's lack of will or utter inability to bring about a negotiated and peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine."
He said "In January 2018, the US announced that its annual contribution to UNRWA would be $60 million. We acknowledged this important funding at the time but also highlighted the fact that it represented a $300 million reduction in income, which confronted our organization with an existential crisis. At no time over the past eight months were we notified of the specific reasons for the dramatic cut."
Krahenbuhl added that it appeared that the decision was related to the rising tensions between the US and the Palestinian Authority (PA) following the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which represented an "evident politicization of humanitarian aid."
He mentioned that it is a radical change after almost seven decades of US aid to UNRWA and "it is inconsistent with the cooperation agreement signed in early December 2017 between the United States and UNRWA, in which the US recognized the robustness and integrity of our management of the organization and its resources and how we address our multiple operational, security and financial challenges."
Krahenbuhl went on to acknowledge the more than 25 countries that advanced their expected annual contributions to an earlier term in the year to help sustain UNRWA operations, as well as to the 30 donors who provided additional contributions to UNRWA's emergency activities and those who have signed new multi-year agreements with the agency.
"We are still in critical need of over $200 million to survive this year's crisis and call on donors to sustain the collective mobilization to succeed in this crucial endeavor."
Krahenbuhl concluded "I say again to all Palestine refugees: we will not fail you. Our partnership with you is stronger than ever. Your dignity is priceless."
Krahenbuhl wrote in an open letter "I express deep regret and disappointment at the nature of the US decision - which affects one of the most robust and rewarding partnerships in the humanitarian and development fields - and unreservedly reject its accompanying narrative."
He stressed "I wish to convey - with confidence and steadfast determination - to Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, that our operations will continue and our agency prevail."
"The funding decision of an individual member state - albeit our historically most generous and consistent donor - will not modify or impact the energy and passion with which we approach our role and responsibility towards Palestine refugees. It will only strengthen our resolve."
Krahenbuhl continued "All staff will be at their duty stations, and will keep our installations open and safe. It is crucial to project the strongest sense of unity and purpose."
"I am proud and honored to lead this dynamic agency and wish to pay tribute to the dozens of colleagues whose lives were lost in recent years, in particular in Gaza, Syria and the West Bank."
He emphasized "The need for humanitarian action arises from the extreme violence, pain, suffering and injustice caused by war. In the case of Palestine refugees, this was caused by forced displacement, dispossession, loss of homes and livelihoods, as well as by statelessness and occupation."
"No matter how often attempts are made to minimize or delegitimize the individual and collective experiences of Palestine refugees, the undeniable fact remains that they have rights under international law and represent a community of 5.4 million men, women and children who cannot simply be wished away."
Krahenbuhl made it clear that UNRWA is not to blame for the protracted nature of Palestinian refugees, their growing numbers, and the growth of needs, stressing "it lies squarely with the parties and in the international community's lack of will or utter inability to bring about a negotiated and peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine."
He said "In January 2018, the US announced that its annual contribution to UNRWA would be $60 million. We acknowledged this important funding at the time but also highlighted the fact that it represented a $300 million reduction in income, which confronted our organization with an existential crisis. At no time over the past eight months were we notified of the specific reasons for the dramatic cut."
Krahenbuhl added that it appeared that the decision was related to the rising tensions between the US and the Palestinian Authority (PA) following the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which represented an "evident politicization of humanitarian aid."
He mentioned that it is a radical change after almost seven decades of US aid to UNRWA and "it is inconsistent with the cooperation agreement signed in early December 2017 between the United States and UNRWA, in which the US recognized the robustness and integrity of our management of the organization and its resources and how we address our multiple operational, security and financial challenges."
Krahenbuhl went on to acknowledge the more than 25 countries that advanced their expected annual contributions to an earlier term in the year to help sustain UNRWA operations, as well as to the 30 donors who provided additional contributions to UNRWA's emergency activities and those who have signed new multi-year agreements with the agency.
"We are still in critical need of over $200 million to survive this year's crisis and call on donors to sustain the collective mobilization to succeed in this crucial endeavor."
Krahenbuhl concluded "I say again to all Palestine refugees: we will not fail you. Our partnership with you is stronger than ever. Your dignity is priceless."
The European Union issued a statement on Saturday pledging that it will continue to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) after the United States administration’s "regrettable" decision to end all funding to the agency.
The EU issued a statement pledging continued support to UNRWA, which implies that the EU may increase funding to the agency if necessary, following the US decision to end funds and after UNRWA’s announcement that it currently faces a budget deficit of $270 million.
On Friday, the US administration officially announced it was ending all funding to UNRWA, which could cause serious consequences for the humanitarian situation in the region, as the US was UNRWA’s largest donor.
The statement said "The EU is committed to secure the continuation and sustainability of the agency’s work which is vital for stability and security in the region."
The statement also urged the United States to reconsider the decision to end of funding to the agency, calling the decision "regrettable, one which leaves a substantial gap in the agency's funding."
The statement added that other than the 28 EU member states "many others in the international community, including many Arab states, have pledged their support to the continuity of the work that UNRWA is doing."
The statement stressed the importance of continued international support for UNWRA, which runs schools for hundreds of Palestinian children across the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
"The EU will continue to engage with the US and its other regional and international partners to work towards that common goal."
In addition, prior to the US announcement on Friday, the government of Germany also pledged to increase funds to UNRWA. The German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "The loss of this organization could unleash an uncontrollable chain reaction."
Many other countries, such as Japan, Qatar, and the UAE have contributed funds to the agency, in order for the funds to be utilized to sustain the agency’s food aid and education programs in all its fields of operation.
The EU issued a statement pledging continued support to UNRWA, which implies that the EU may increase funding to the agency if necessary, following the US decision to end funds and after UNRWA’s announcement that it currently faces a budget deficit of $270 million.
On Friday, the US administration officially announced it was ending all funding to UNRWA, which could cause serious consequences for the humanitarian situation in the region, as the US was UNRWA’s largest donor.
The statement said "The EU is committed to secure the continuation and sustainability of the agency’s work which is vital for stability and security in the region."
The statement also urged the United States to reconsider the decision to end of funding to the agency, calling the decision "regrettable, one which leaves a substantial gap in the agency's funding."
The statement added that other than the 28 EU member states "many others in the international community, including many Arab states, have pledged their support to the continuity of the work that UNRWA is doing."
The statement stressed the importance of continued international support for UNWRA, which runs schools for hundreds of Palestinian children across the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
"The EU will continue to engage with the US and its other regional and international partners to work towards that common goal."
In addition, prior to the US announcement on Friday, the government of Germany also pledged to increase funds to UNRWA. The German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said "The loss of this organization could unleash an uncontrollable chain reaction."
Many other countries, such as Japan, Qatar, and the UAE have contributed funds to the agency, in order for the funds to be utilized to sustain the agency’s food aid and education programs in all its fields of operation.
Britain Sunday affirmed its commitment to continue to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) following the US decision on Friday to cull all funding to the agency.
British Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt issued a statement following the United States’ decision to withdraw funding for UNRWA, stating that, “UNRWA is a necessary humanitarian and stabilizing force in the region, providing vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees every day.”
“The UK remains a firmly committed supporter of UNRWA, and Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, and we will do everything we can to maintain continuity of essential services at this time,” concluded the statement.
On Friday, the United States said it decided to end all funding for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency.
The US State Department described the organization as "irredeemably flawed".
The US administration has "carefully reviewed" the issue and "will not make additional contributions to Unrwa," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
UNRWA was originally set up to take care of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Israeli war.
The agency says it currently supports more than five million Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, including providing health care, education and social services.
The US has been the largest single donor to Unrwa, providing $368m (£284m) in 2016 and funding almost 30% of its operations in the region.
British Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt issued a statement following the United States’ decision to withdraw funding for UNRWA, stating that, “UNRWA is a necessary humanitarian and stabilizing force in the region, providing vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees every day.”
“The UK remains a firmly committed supporter of UNRWA, and Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, and we will do everything we can to maintain continuity of essential services at this time,” concluded the statement.
On Friday, the United States said it decided to end all funding for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency.
The US State Department described the organization as "irredeemably flawed".
The US administration has "carefully reviewed" the issue and "will not make additional contributions to Unrwa," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
UNRWA was originally set up to take care of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Israeli war.
The agency says it currently supports more than five million Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, including providing health care, education and social services.
The US has been the largest single donor to Unrwa, providing $368m (£284m) in 2016 and funding almost 30% of its operations in the region.
Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney has condemned the US decision to end all funding to UNRWA, which supports some five million Palestinian refugees.
In a strongly worded statement issued by the department of foreign affairs, Coveney described the move as both “heartless and dangerous,” and warned it would impact negatively on the Middle East region.
The Irish minister said he had seen first-hand the excellent work that UNRWA does in providing services to millions of people, including those in Gaza who have nowhere else to turn.
He added that the UN agency provides food aid to over a million Gazans, who cannot feed themselves due to the economic impact of the blockade.
The minister also affirmed that his country would continue to assist and support UNRWA and would discuss with the EU and other partners what more can be done to support its work.
In a strongly worded statement issued by the department of foreign affairs, Coveney described the move as both “heartless and dangerous,” and warned it would impact negatively on the Middle East region.
The Irish minister said he had seen first-hand the excellent work that UNRWA does in providing services to millions of people, including those in Gaza who have nowhere else to turn.
He added that the UN agency provides food aid to over a million Gazans, who cannot feed themselves due to the economic impact of the blockade.
The minister also affirmed that his country would continue to assist and support UNRWA and would discuss with the EU and other partners what more can be done to support its work.
Over the weekend, Israeli television reported that the US administration is planning to escalate its attacks on Palestinian refugees by not only explicitly rejecting their right of return but also by unilaterally redefining who constitutes a refugee so as to slash their numbers to just half a million.
Since then, US diplomat Nikki Haley has affirmed the US would only support the Palestinian refugees' relief agency UNRWA if the organisation were to "change the number of refugees to an accurate account".
It is now being reported that the Trump administration has decided to cancel all US funding to UNRWA.
A basic human right
We need not detain ourselves for long on the paucity of the arguments being advanced by US and Israeli politicians. A right to return is a basic human right, and, as has been noted by head of UNRWA Pierre Krähenbühl, as well as by the US State Department in 2015 and 2012, the children and grandchildren of refugees are routinely recognised as refugees in protracted situations.
In February, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that funds for Palestinian refugees could go through UNHCR rather than UNRWA, Guterres pointed out that the former promotes repatriation: "Are you sure you want the UN refugee organization to start working for the return of the Palestinian refugees?" he said.
But moving beyond the rhetoric, it is important to consider to what extent the emerging US position differs in practice from previous US administrations.
Over a quarter century of the peace process, no US administration has ever backed the practical implementation of the Palestinian refugees' right to return and compensation, instead accepting Israel's stance that its demand to maintain a Jewish majority of citizens trumps the right of expelled Palestinians to return to their homeland.
An unsophisticated, crude approach
So, what is different here? The first element is that the Trump administration, as it has already demonstrated in numerous ways, is not interested in playing the game that usually characterises US-managed "peace talks". This stripping away has resulted in an unsophisticated, crude approach that has made it impossible for even someone like the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table.
The second element is that an emboldened Israeli right and their fellow ideologues in Washington sense an opportunity to deal UNRWA a fatal blow and thus, as they see it, liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue once and for all.
A few months after Trump's inauguration, Netanyahu declared that UNRWA should be "dismantled," remarks that constituted a striking escalation in official Israeli attacks on the agency. Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, meanwhile, has backed a "sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA".
Welcoming the latest report about Trump's plans to redefine Palestinian refugees and end funding to UNRWA, former Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor said he "has worked toward UNRWA'S closure for years," and hoped the Israeli government would "adopt the plan wholeheartedly'.
For the Israeli hard-right, Trump’s decision to "take Jerusalem off the negotiating table" was proof positive that Israeli unilateralism ultimately gets results. The Jerusalem move has instilled a hope – if not outright confidence – over other issues such as annexation, and the Palestinian refugees.
As Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze'ev Elkin put it, speaking about the US steps against UNRWA, "this example proves that when Israel believes in its path, and when the Israeli public unites behind our national interests, ultimately, the world concedes the truth and comes around to our position.
"That is happening now with the [Palestinian] right of return, it happened with the decision to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem, and it will happen in other areas if we show enough determination," he added.
UNRWA gets its mandate from the UN General Assembly, which is not up for renewal until June 2020 (and was last extended by 167 votes to one). It is the only forum that, by a majority vote, can change the agency’s mandate.
Negative consequences
Thus, the US and Israel may have decided that breaking the agency financially, and obstructing its operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, constitutes their best option for the time being, alongside the Trump administration's wishing away of the existence of Palestinian refugees.
Some have suggested that defunding or dismantling UNRWA will have negative consequences for Israel. But just because some Israeli "security sources" support UNRWA in terms of fighting "extremism" or subsidising the costs of occupation does not invalidate the case for its defence.
This latest assault on UNRWA is, manifestly, a politically motivated attack on the rights of Palestinian refugees.
In the context of Israel’s "Jewish nation state" law, the US recognition of Jerusalem, and moves towards annexation of West Bank territory, those seeking the elimination of UNRWA envisage its demise to be a crucial part of the consolidation of an apartheid, single state, and the defeat of the Palestinian struggle.
- Ben White is a freelance journalist and writer and his articles have been published by Al Jazeera, al-Araby, Huffington Post, the Electronic Intifada, the Guardian's Comment is Free and more. This article was published in the Middle East Eye.
Since then, US diplomat Nikki Haley has affirmed the US would only support the Palestinian refugees' relief agency UNRWA if the organisation were to "change the number of refugees to an accurate account".
It is now being reported that the Trump administration has decided to cancel all US funding to UNRWA.
A basic human right
We need not detain ourselves for long on the paucity of the arguments being advanced by US and Israeli politicians. A right to return is a basic human right, and, as has been noted by head of UNRWA Pierre Krähenbühl, as well as by the US State Department in 2015 and 2012, the children and grandchildren of refugees are routinely recognised as refugees in protracted situations.
In February, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that funds for Palestinian refugees could go through UNHCR rather than UNRWA, Guterres pointed out that the former promotes repatriation: "Are you sure you want the UN refugee organization to start working for the return of the Palestinian refugees?" he said.
But moving beyond the rhetoric, it is important to consider to what extent the emerging US position differs in practice from previous US administrations.
Over a quarter century of the peace process, no US administration has ever backed the practical implementation of the Palestinian refugees' right to return and compensation, instead accepting Israel's stance that its demand to maintain a Jewish majority of citizens trumps the right of expelled Palestinians to return to their homeland.
An unsophisticated, crude approach
So, what is different here? The first element is that the Trump administration, as it has already demonstrated in numerous ways, is not interested in playing the game that usually characterises US-managed "peace talks". This stripping away has resulted in an unsophisticated, crude approach that has made it impossible for even someone like the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table.
The second element is that an emboldened Israeli right and their fellow ideologues in Washington sense an opportunity to deal UNRWA a fatal blow and thus, as they see it, liquidate the Palestinian refugee issue once and for all.
A few months after Trump's inauguration, Netanyahu declared that UNRWA should be "dismantled," remarks that constituted a striking escalation in official Israeli attacks on the agency. Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, meanwhile, has backed a "sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA".
Welcoming the latest report about Trump's plans to redefine Palestinian refugees and end funding to UNRWA, former Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor said he "has worked toward UNRWA'S closure for years," and hoped the Israeli government would "adopt the plan wholeheartedly'.
For the Israeli hard-right, Trump’s decision to "take Jerusalem off the negotiating table" was proof positive that Israeli unilateralism ultimately gets results. The Jerusalem move has instilled a hope – if not outright confidence – over other issues such as annexation, and the Palestinian refugees.
As Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze'ev Elkin put it, speaking about the US steps against UNRWA, "this example proves that when Israel believes in its path, and when the Israeli public unites behind our national interests, ultimately, the world concedes the truth and comes around to our position.
"That is happening now with the [Palestinian] right of return, it happened with the decision to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem, and it will happen in other areas if we show enough determination," he added.
UNRWA gets its mandate from the UN General Assembly, which is not up for renewal until June 2020 (and was last extended by 167 votes to one). It is the only forum that, by a majority vote, can change the agency’s mandate.
Negative consequences
Thus, the US and Israel may have decided that breaking the agency financially, and obstructing its operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, constitutes their best option for the time being, alongside the Trump administration's wishing away of the existence of Palestinian refugees.
Some have suggested that defunding or dismantling UNRWA will have negative consequences for Israel. But just because some Israeli "security sources" support UNRWA in terms of fighting "extremism" or subsidising the costs of occupation does not invalidate the case for its defence.
This latest assault on UNRWA is, manifestly, a politically motivated attack on the rights of Palestinian refugees.
In the context of Israel’s "Jewish nation state" law, the US recognition of Jerusalem, and moves towards annexation of West Bank territory, those seeking the elimination of UNRWA envisage its demise to be a crucial part of the consolidation of an apartheid, single state, and the defeat of the Palestinian struggle.
- Ben White is a freelance journalist and writer and his articles have been published by Al Jazeera, al-Araby, Huffington Post, the Electronic Intifada, the Guardian's Comment is Free and more. This article was published in the Middle East Eye.
Speaking at ceremony marking beginning of new school year, Netanyahu draws contrast between Israel's absorption of Holocaust survivors and other refugees, along with Israelis evacuated from Gaza in 2005, with UNRWA's perpetuation of Palestinian refugee issue; US ‘is finally beginning to resolve the problem.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed as a “very important thing” on Sunday morning the US’s announcement at the beginning of the weekend to completely halt all funding to the main United Nations organization that provides assistance to Palestinian refugees.
The Trump administration said it would cease to provide any financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which the US and Israel have accused of deliberately bloating the number of bona fide Palestinian refugees.
Speaking at ceremony at the Breuer state religious elementary school in Yad Binyamin to mark the beginning of the new school year, Netanyahu attempted to highlight the contrast between Israel’s handling of Israelis uprooted in the 2005 evacuation of the Gaza Strip, and the refusal of other Arab nations to absorb the 700,000 Palestinians who were either driven out or fled their homes in the fighting during the 1948 War of Independence.
"This community has absorbed people who were uprooted from Gush Katif (Gaza). The lives of people who were uprooted from Gush Katif could have been a tragedy, a terrible disaster,” Netanyahu said as he addressed school children.
“It started with terrible pain but the State of Israel and all the citizens of Israel worked together so that the people who were uprooted from Gush Katif would not be refugees in their country. We absorbed them and they resumed their lives, their splendid lives. There are memories but there is the present and the future which have already changed, and this gives new life and great hope,” he added.
Noting that he disagreed with former prime minister Ariel Sharon who presided over the evacuation of thousands of Israelis from Gaza, Netanyahu proudly proclaimed that the country “dealt with the problem.”
Moreover, the prime minister also drew attention to the fact that Holocaust survivors were also absorbed into Israel after fleeing communities in which they had lived for generations.
“They were uprooted, survived and came here. Did we leave them as refugees?,” he asked rhetorically.
“No, we absorbed them, from Arab countries as well. They were uprooted, from the same war, the war of liberation. Hundreds of thousands of Jews who came here as refugees without anything; they left all their property behind. We did not leave them as refugees; we turned them into equal citizens, who contribute, in our state,” Netanyahu stated, before contrasting their situation with that of the Palestinians from 1948.
“This is not what is happening with the Palestinians. There they created a unique institution, 70 years ago, not to absorb the refugees but to perpetuate them,” he said, praising the US decision on UNRWA.
“Therefore the US has done a very important thing by halting the financing for the refugee perpetuation agency known as UNRWA. It is finally beginning to resolve the problem. The funds must be taken and used to genuinely help rehabilitate the refugees, the true number of which is much smaller than the number reported by UNRWA. This is a welcome and important change and we support it," he declared.
UNRWA has become the subject of significant scrutiny since President Trump entered the White House.
After appointing his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a Mideast advisor charged with formulating a long-awaited peace initiative to put an end to the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the UN refugee organization appeared to occupy a significant spot on his radar.
In an internal email recently published by Foreign Policy magazine, Kushner called for a "sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA."
"This (agency) perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn't help peace," he reportedly wrote in an email dated January 11.
The agency was founded in 1949 after the first Arab-Israel war—the War of Independence—in the wake of the exodus of around 700,000 refugees who fled or were driven out of Israel on its founding as a state.
The nascent state of Israel absorbed Jewish refugees who were expelled or who fled from neighboring Arab countries, while other Arab states refused to grant the Palestinians citizenship.
As a result, UNRWA now looks after more than 5 million descendants of those original refugees, in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel argues that UNRWA perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem by grossly inflating the number of bonafide refugees.
Since the agency includes descendants of Palestinian refugees from the War of Independence, it grants refugee status to Palestinians according to a criteria that is not adhered to in any other refugee question.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed as a “very important thing” on Sunday morning the US’s announcement at the beginning of the weekend to completely halt all funding to the main United Nations organization that provides assistance to Palestinian refugees.
The Trump administration said it would cease to provide any financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which the US and Israel have accused of deliberately bloating the number of bona fide Palestinian refugees.
Speaking at ceremony at the Breuer state religious elementary school in Yad Binyamin to mark the beginning of the new school year, Netanyahu attempted to highlight the contrast between Israel’s handling of Israelis uprooted in the 2005 evacuation of the Gaza Strip, and the refusal of other Arab nations to absorb the 700,000 Palestinians who were either driven out or fled their homes in the fighting during the 1948 War of Independence.
"This community has absorbed people who were uprooted from Gush Katif (Gaza). The lives of people who were uprooted from Gush Katif could have been a tragedy, a terrible disaster,” Netanyahu said as he addressed school children.
“It started with terrible pain but the State of Israel and all the citizens of Israel worked together so that the people who were uprooted from Gush Katif would not be refugees in their country. We absorbed them and they resumed their lives, their splendid lives. There are memories but there is the present and the future which have already changed, and this gives new life and great hope,” he added.
Noting that he disagreed with former prime minister Ariel Sharon who presided over the evacuation of thousands of Israelis from Gaza, Netanyahu proudly proclaimed that the country “dealt with the problem.”
Moreover, the prime minister also drew attention to the fact that Holocaust survivors were also absorbed into Israel after fleeing communities in which they had lived for generations.
“They were uprooted, survived and came here. Did we leave them as refugees?,” he asked rhetorically.
“No, we absorbed them, from Arab countries as well. They were uprooted, from the same war, the war of liberation. Hundreds of thousands of Jews who came here as refugees without anything; they left all their property behind. We did not leave them as refugees; we turned them into equal citizens, who contribute, in our state,” Netanyahu stated, before contrasting their situation with that of the Palestinians from 1948.
“This is not what is happening with the Palestinians. There they created a unique institution, 70 years ago, not to absorb the refugees but to perpetuate them,” he said, praising the US decision on UNRWA.
“Therefore the US has done a very important thing by halting the financing for the refugee perpetuation agency known as UNRWA. It is finally beginning to resolve the problem. The funds must be taken and used to genuinely help rehabilitate the refugees, the true number of which is much smaller than the number reported by UNRWA. This is a welcome and important change and we support it," he declared.
UNRWA has become the subject of significant scrutiny since President Trump entered the White House.
After appointing his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a Mideast advisor charged with formulating a long-awaited peace initiative to put an end to the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the UN refugee organization appeared to occupy a significant spot on his radar.
In an internal email recently published by Foreign Policy magazine, Kushner called for a "sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA."
"This (agency) perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn't help peace," he reportedly wrote in an email dated January 11.
The agency was founded in 1949 after the first Arab-Israel war—the War of Independence—in the wake of the exodus of around 700,000 refugees who fled or were driven out of Israel on its founding as a state.
The nascent state of Israel absorbed Jewish refugees who were expelled or who fled from neighboring Arab countries, while other Arab states refused to grant the Palestinians citizenship.
As a result, UNRWA now looks after more than 5 million descendants of those original refugees, in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel argues that UNRWA perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem by grossly inflating the number of bonafide refugees.
Since the agency includes descendants of Palestinian refugees from the War of Independence, it grants refugee status to Palestinians according to a criteria that is not adhered to in any other refugee question.
Turkish Foreign Ministry strongly condemned on Saturday the U.S. over its decision to end funding for the UN Palestine refugee agency.
"The decision of the United States will affect the lives of over 5 million Palestinians in a negative way. At the same time, this decision will harm the vision of finding a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue; regional peace and stability," the ministry said in a statement.
The statement came a day after U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington "will no longer commit further funding" to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The ministry said the U.S. decision was a "major disappointment".
"Under these circumstances, UNRWA's continuing uninterrupted operation has become a legitimacy test and a conscientious task in terms of the international community," it added.
Turkey will discuss the issue in detail during UN General Assembly High Level meeting in New York, on Sept. 27, with the co-chairmanship of Jordan, Japan, Sweden and the EU, and participation of UN Secretary-General and UNRWA General Commissioner.
The ministry said Turkey is determined to continue to make every effort to support UNRWA and is in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The U.S. was by far UNRWA's largest funder, giving $350 million annually, or about one-quarter of the agency's budget.
Established in 1949, UNRWA provides critical aid to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
"The decision of the United States will affect the lives of over 5 million Palestinians in a negative way. At the same time, this decision will harm the vision of finding a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue; regional peace and stability," the ministry said in a statement.
The statement came a day after U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington "will no longer commit further funding" to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The ministry said the U.S. decision was a "major disappointment".
"Under these circumstances, UNRWA's continuing uninterrupted operation has become a legitimacy test and a conscientious task in terms of the international community," it added.
Turkey will discuss the issue in detail during UN General Assembly High Level meeting in New York, on Sept. 27, with the co-chairmanship of Jordan, Japan, Sweden and the EU, and participation of UN Secretary-General and UNRWA General Commissioner.
The ministry said Turkey is determined to continue to make every effort to support UNRWA and is in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The U.S. was by far UNRWA's largest funder, giving $350 million annually, or about one-quarter of the agency's budget.
Established in 1949, UNRWA provides critical aid to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
1 sept 2018
Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in an open letter expressed deep regret and disappointment at the nature of the US decision to end all funding to UNRWA,
“On 31 August, the United States announced that it will provide no additional funding to UNRWA. I express deep regret and disappointment at the nature of the US decision - which affects one of the most robust and rewarding partnerships in the humanitarian and development fields - and unreservedly reject its accompanying narrative”, Krähenbühl’s letter read.
“The funding decision of an individual member state - albeit our historically most generous and consistent donor - will not modify or impact the energy and passion with which we approach our role and responsibility towards Palestine refugees. It will only strengthen our resolve, said Krähenbühl.
“UNRWA's remarkable history is made up of millions of acts of selflessness and courage in one the world's most polarized and emotionally charged regions of the planet. I am proud and honored to lead this dynamic agency and wish to pay tribute to the dozens of colleagues whose lives were lost in recent years, in particular in Gaza, Syria and the West Bank”, he stated.
“We were created in 1949 to provide assistance and protection of rights of Palestine refugees, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight”, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General added. “The need for humanitarian action arises from the extreme violence, pain, suffering and injustice caused by war. In the case of Palestine refugees, this was caused by forced displacement, dispossession, loss of homes and livelihoods, as well as by statelessness and occupation.”
“No matter how often attempts are made to minimize or delegitimize the individual and collective experiences of Palestine refugees, the undeniable fact remains that they have rights under international law and represent a community of 5.4 Million men, women and children who cannot simply be wished away.” video
“The responsibility for the protracted nature of the Palestine refugee-hood, the growing number of refugees and the growth in needs, lies squarely with the parties and in the international community's lack of will or utter inability to bring about a negotiated and peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The attempt to make UNRWA somehow responsible for perpetuating the crisis is disingenuous at best.”
“In January 2018, the US announced that its annual contribution to UNRWA would be $60 M. We acknowledged this important funding at the time but also highlighted the fact that it represented a $300 M reduction in income, which confronted our organization with an existential crisis. At no time over the past eight months were we notified of the specific reasons for the dramatic cut.”
“It appeared clearly related however to the tensions between the United States and the Palestinian leadership following the US announcement on Jerusalem and not to UNRWA's performance. It therefore represented an evident politicization of humanitarian aid. The announcement made yesterday further challenges the notion that humanitarian funding should be depoliticized. It risks undermining the foundations of the international multi-lateral and humanitarian systems.”
“We are still in critical need of over $200 M to survive this year's crisis and call on donors to sustain the collective mobilization to succeed in this crucial endeavor.”
“I say again to all Palestine refugees: we will not fail you. Our partnership with you is stronger than ever. Your Dignity is Priceless”, the letter concluded.
“On 31 August, the United States announced that it will provide no additional funding to UNRWA. I express deep regret and disappointment at the nature of the US decision - which affects one of the most robust and rewarding partnerships in the humanitarian and development fields - and unreservedly reject its accompanying narrative”, Krähenbühl’s letter read.
“The funding decision of an individual member state - albeit our historically most generous and consistent donor - will not modify or impact the energy and passion with which we approach our role and responsibility towards Palestine refugees. It will only strengthen our resolve, said Krähenbühl.
“UNRWA's remarkable history is made up of millions of acts of selflessness and courage in one the world's most polarized and emotionally charged regions of the planet. I am proud and honored to lead this dynamic agency and wish to pay tribute to the dozens of colleagues whose lives were lost in recent years, in particular in Gaza, Syria and the West Bank”, he stated.
“We were created in 1949 to provide assistance and protection of rights of Palestine refugees, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight”, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General added. “The need for humanitarian action arises from the extreme violence, pain, suffering and injustice caused by war. In the case of Palestine refugees, this was caused by forced displacement, dispossession, loss of homes and livelihoods, as well as by statelessness and occupation.”
“No matter how often attempts are made to minimize or delegitimize the individual and collective experiences of Palestine refugees, the undeniable fact remains that they have rights under international law and represent a community of 5.4 Million men, women and children who cannot simply be wished away.” video
“The responsibility for the protracted nature of the Palestine refugee-hood, the growing number of refugees and the growth in needs, lies squarely with the parties and in the international community's lack of will or utter inability to bring about a negotiated and peaceful resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The attempt to make UNRWA somehow responsible for perpetuating the crisis is disingenuous at best.”
“In January 2018, the US announced that its annual contribution to UNRWA would be $60 M. We acknowledged this important funding at the time but also highlighted the fact that it represented a $300 M reduction in income, which confronted our organization with an existential crisis. At no time over the past eight months were we notified of the specific reasons for the dramatic cut.”
“It appeared clearly related however to the tensions between the United States and the Palestinian leadership following the US announcement on Jerusalem and not to UNRWA's performance. It therefore represented an evident politicization of humanitarian aid. The announcement made yesterday further challenges the notion that humanitarian funding should be depoliticized. It risks undermining the foundations of the international multi-lateral and humanitarian systems.”
“We are still in critical need of over $200 M to survive this year's crisis and call on donors to sustain the collective mobilization to succeed in this crucial endeavor.”
“I say again to all Palestine refugees: we will not fail you. Our partnership with you is stronger than ever. Your Dignity is Priceless”, the letter concluded.
The government of Germany pledged to increase funds for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a response to the United States’ decision to cut all funding to the agency.
Reuters reported, according to Ma’an, that the German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, said that the funding crisis for the UNWRA was fueling uncertainty.
Maas said that “the loss of this organization could unleash an uncontrollable chain reaction.”
Germany has already provided $94 million in funds for UNWRA, this year, and the country was preparing to increase its contribution, Maas added.
Maas said that it is obvious that the added funds would not cover a $217 million deficit left by the US withdrawal. However, he urged the European Union and other states to work towards “a sustainable finance basis for the organization.”
Reuters reported, according to Ma’an, that the German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, said that the funding crisis for the UNWRA was fueling uncertainty.
Maas said that “the loss of this organization could unleash an uncontrollable chain reaction.”
Germany has already provided $94 million in funds for UNWRA, this year, and the country was preparing to increase its contribution, Maas added.
Maas said that it is obvious that the added funds would not cover a $217 million deficit left by the US withdrawal. However, he urged the European Union and other states to work towards “a sustainable finance basis for the organization.”
Jordan will host a fundraiser at the United Nations headquarters in New York, next month, to keep UNRWA afloat, the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, on Thursday.
Jordan, in collaboration with UNRWA, Sweden, Japan and Turkey, will organize a conference in support of the agency on the sidelines of the meetings for the UN General Assembly next month.
The meeting, set for September 27 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, “aims to provide financial and political support to UNRWA,” said Safadi, according to the PNN.
“Supporting UNRWA is a legal, political or moral responsibility for guaranteeing the right of refugees to a decent living, schooling and health services,” Safadi affirmed.
Safadi said that the New York event aims to “close the gap and put in place a plan that will ensure UNRWA’s continued, ongoing funding for the coming years.”
It will also “reaffirm that UNRWA is an organization created by the UN General Assembly, with a clear and particular role, and this role must continue,” he added.
The top diplomat went on to say: “The question of Palestine refugees is a final status issue that should be resolved in accordance with the International Legitimacy Resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
Jordan has also called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to explore avenues of assistance to the agency.
The United States announced, in January, that it would cut some of its funding to UNRWA, citing a need to undertake a fundamental re-examination of the organization, both in the way it operates and the way it is funded.
The organization has since received pledges of $100 million in additional funding from Qatar, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey, New Zealand, Norway, Korea, Mexico, Slovakia, India and France as a means of making up for the aid that was cut by Washington.
UNRWA recently said it had managed to pay salaries and provide some services, but also said there was still a large budget deficit of $256 million.
Jordan, in collaboration with UNRWA, Sweden, Japan and Turkey, will organize a conference in support of the agency on the sidelines of the meetings for the UN General Assembly next month.
The meeting, set for September 27 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, “aims to provide financial and political support to UNRWA,” said Safadi, according to the PNN.
“Supporting UNRWA is a legal, political or moral responsibility for guaranteeing the right of refugees to a decent living, schooling and health services,” Safadi affirmed.
Safadi said that the New York event aims to “close the gap and put in place a plan that will ensure UNRWA’s continued, ongoing funding for the coming years.”
It will also “reaffirm that UNRWA is an organization created by the UN General Assembly, with a clear and particular role, and this role must continue,” he added.
The top diplomat went on to say: “The question of Palestine refugees is a final status issue that should be resolved in accordance with the International Legitimacy Resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
Jordan has also called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to explore avenues of assistance to the agency.
The United States announced, in January, that it would cut some of its funding to UNRWA, citing a need to undertake a fundamental re-examination of the organization, both in the way it operates and the way it is funded.
The organization has since received pledges of $100 million in additional funding from Qatar, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey, New Zealand, Norway, Korea, Mexico, Slovakia, India and France as a means of making up for the aid that was cut by Washington.
UNRWA recently said it had managed to pay salaries and provide some services, but also said there was still a large budget deficit of $256 million.
After the United States announced cutting all aid to the United Nations Relief and Words Agency (UNRWA), the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) said it is weighing all options to counter the American move, including heading to the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
Palestinian Presidency spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rodeina, said the P.A is trying to prevent a serious disaster and escalation, due to the hostile U.S. policies towards the Palestinians and their internationally guaranteed rights.
He added that the UNRWA was founded under a direct resolution of the Security Council in 1949, to provided relief and support to the Palestinian refugees until a just, and a comprehensive resolution is reached.
Abu Rodeina also stated that Israel continues to ignore numerous resolutions by the UN and the Security Council, and has always been backed by the United States, but the current White House administration is taking very serious hostile polices against the legitimate Palestinian rights, and is directly targeting the refugees.
The Palestinian official stated that President Mahmoud Abbas will be delivering a speech at the General Assembly this month, and will focus on essential issues, including the refugees and occupied Jerusalem.
“The U.S. decision does not help the efforts to achieve real peace,” he said, “Such policies are direct assaults against the Palestinian people, and only serve the interests of terrorist groups in the region.”
“This decision is part of a series of hostile policies carried out by the administration of Donald Trump against the Palestinians, and their legitimate rights, including his illegal recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the united capital of Israel,” Abu Rodeina stated, “The U.S. is not only denying legitimate Palestinian rights in occupied Jerusalem, but is also effectively separating Gaza from the West Bank, in addition to cutting the funding to UNRWA and others organizations that aid the improvised and displaced refugees.”
Abu Rodeina also said that the U.S. policies violate all related resolutions, and require a firm international response to prevent the region from sliding into a very serious wave of escalation, and destruction.
“The Palestinian people will remain steadfast, and such illegal American and Israeli policies will only lead to more determination to continue the struggle for liberation,” he stated, “The issue of the refugees must be resolved by implementing all related international legitimacy resolutions, including the Right of Return, and the establishment of a viable, contiguous and sovereign independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Palestinian Presidency spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rodeina, said the P.A is trying to prevent a serious disaster and escalation, due to the hostile U.S. policies towards the Palestinians and their internationally guaranteed rights.
He added that the UNRWA was founded under a direct resolution of the Security Council in 1949, to provided relief and support to the Palestinian refugees until a just, and a comprehensive resolution is reached.
Abu Rodeina also stated that Israel continues to ignore numerous resolutions by the UN and the Security Council, and has always been backed by the United States, but the current White House administration is taking very serious hostile polices against the legitimate Palestinian rights, and is directly targeting the refugees.
The Palestinian official stated that President Mahmoud Abbas will be delivering a speech at the General Assembly this month, and will focus on essential issues, including the refugees and occupied Jerusalem.
“The U.S. decision does not help the efforts to achieve real peace,” he said, “Such policies are direct assaults against the Palestinian people, and only serve the interests of terrorist groups in the region.”
“This decision is part of a series of hostile policies carried out by the administration of Donald Trump against the Palestinians, and their legitimate rights, including his illegal recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the united capital of Israel,” Abu Rodeina stated, “The U.S. is not only denying legitimate Palestinian rights in occupied Jerusalem, but is also effectively separating Gaza from the West Bank, in addition to cutting the funding to UNRWA and others organizations that aid the improvised and displaced refugees.”
Abu Rodeina also said that the U.S. policies violate all related resolutions, and require a firm international response to prevent the region from sliding into a very serious wave of escalation, and destruction.
“The Palestinian people will remain steadfast, and such illegal American and Israeli policies will only lead to more determination to continue the struggle for liberation,” he stated, “The issue of the refugees must be resolved by implementing all related international legitimacy resolutions, including the Right of Return, and the establishment of a viable, contiguous and sovereign independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that “the decision of the United States today (Friday) to stop its funding is disappointing and surprising.”
UNRWA rejected US insistence that its programs were “irreparably flawed.”
“We reject in the strongest possible terms the criticism of UNRWA schools, health centers and programs for emergency assistance as irreparably flawed,” said Chris Janis, UNRWA spokesman in a series of tweets on Twitter.
For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed ‘regret’ over Washington’s decision to stop its assistance to UNRWA.
“UNRWA has the full confidence of the Secretary-General,” read a statement issued by UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Saturday.
He pointed out that it “provides basic services to the Palestinian refugees, and contributes to the stabilization of the region,” according to AFP.
He called on other countries to help bridge UNRWA’s financial deficit so that it could continue to provide vital assistance to the Palestinians, citing the Organization’s efforts to adjust after the reduction of US funding earlier this year.
The Washington Post reported on Friday that the administration of US President Donald Trump had completely canceled the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as part of its plan to place its funds in areas that serve its policies.
The newspaper quoted an official familiar with the decision, which will be issued in the coming weeks, claiming that it was taken to express rejection of the way UNRWA spends its money.
The official said: “The United States will call for a reduction in the recognition of the number of Palestinian refugees estimated at five million to only 1/10 of that number, and any such reduction would effectively cancel the right of return for most Palestinians.”
UNRWA rejected US insistence that its programs were “irreparably flawed.”
“We reject in the strongest possible terms the criticism of UNRWA schools, health centers and programs for emergency assistance as irreparably flawed,” said Chris Janis, UNRWA spokesman in a series of tweets on Twitter.
For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed ‘regret’ over Washington’s decision to stop its assistance to UNRWA.
“UNRWA has the full confidence of the Secretary-General,” read a statement issued by UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Saturday.
He pointed out that it “provides basic services to the Palestinian refugees, and contributes to the stabilization of the region,” according to AFP.
He called on other countries to help bridge UNRWA’s financial deficit so that it could continue to provide vital assistance to the Palestinians, citing the Organization’s efforts to adjust after the reduction of US funding earlier this year.
The Washington Post reported on Friday that the administration of US President Donald Trump had completely canceled the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as part of its plan to place its funds in areas that serve its policies.
The newspaper quoted an official familiar with the decision, which will be issued in the coming weeks, claiming that it was taken to express rejection of the way UNRWA spends its money.
The official said: “The United States will call for a reduction in the recognition of the number of Palestinian refugees estimated at five million to only 1/10 of that number, and any such reduction would effectively cancel the right of return for most Palestinians.”
Chairman of the Popular Committee against the Siege MP Jamal al-Khudari said that Washington’s decision to cut financial aid to UNRWA is dangerous and its impact extends to millions of refugees inside and outside Palestine.
Khudari said in a press statement on Saturday that the decision was aimed at making the humanitarian situation of refugees more complex in order to achieve political goals, adding that “this will not pass, and the Palestinian people have a right to return under all circumstances.”
He pointed out that the decision comes at a time of worsening humanitarian conditions of refugees in all their places of existence, especially in Gaza, with one million of them dependent on humanitarian assistance.
Khudari said that stopping the Agency’s services is a real and a serious violation of the daily, practical, educational, health and humanitarian lives of the refugees.
He stressed that the decision to reduce and later completely stop support for the refugees comes as part of “a clear US plan and is an attempt to circumvent the rights of refugees and end their cause.”
“This decision is inseparable from the American and Israeli steps being taken on the ground, starting with the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, building and expanding settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and tightening the siege on the Gaza Strip.”
Khudari called for “a Palestinian diplomatic response to meet the challenges resulting from this decision, and to thwart the American plan to undermine UNRWA. Next year, the UN General Assembly will vote to renew UNRWA’s mandate.”
Khudari called on Arab, Muslim and foreign countries to redouble their efforts and increase their financial support to UNRWA, enabling the agency to implement its humanitarian programs to serve millions of refugees inside and outside Palestine.
Khudari said in a press statement on Saturday that the decision was aimed at making the humanitarian situation of refugees more complex in order to achieve political goals, adding that “this will not pass, and the Palestinian people have a right to return under all circumstances.”
He pointed out that the decision comes at a time of worsening humanitarian conditions of refugees in all their places of existence, especially in Gaza, with one million of them dependent on humanitarian assistance.
Khudari said that stopping the Agency’s services is a real and a serious violation of the daily, practical, educational, health and humanitarian lives of the refugees.
He stressed that the decision to reduce and later completely stop support for the refugees comes as part of “a clear US plan and is an attempt to circumvent the rights of refugees and end their cause.”
“This decision is inseparable from the American and Israeli steps being taken on the ground, starting with the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, building and expanding settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and tightening the siege on the Gaza Strip.”
Khudari called for “a Palestinian diplomatic response to meet the challenges resulting from this decision, and to thwart the American plan to undermine UNRWA. Next year, the UN General Assembly will vote to renew UNRWA’s mandate.”
Khudari called on Arab, Muslim and foreign countries to redouble their efforts and increase their financial support to UNRWA, enabling the agency to implement its humanitarian programs to serve millions of refugees inside and outside Palestine.
The Hamas Movement has strongly denounced the US administration for deciding to end all funding to UNRWA, calling for international moves to confront what it described as the American tyranny.
In Twitter remarks, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the US administration’s decision to cut off all funding for UNRWA and its rejection of the Palestinian right of return made it an enemy of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nations.
The US administration has decided recently to stop all funding it gives to the UN agency that provides assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees, ending a decades-long policy of supporting it.
The move was pushed strongly by Jared Kushner, president Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser on the Middle East, as part of a plan to force Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to drop demands for the return of many refugees to their homeland.
Each year, the state department transfers money by the end of September to UNRWA, which provides aid to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
In January, the state department released $65 million for the agency and announced it was withholding another $60 million that had already been allocated in a budget process for 2018. Recently, Kushner and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, met and decided not to give that amount or any further money.
The administration also intends during the coming weeks to release announcement calling for a sharp reduction in the number of Palestinians recognized as refugees, dropping it from more than five million, including descendants, to fewer than a tenth of that number, or those still alive from when the agency was created seven decades ago, according to US news reports.
In Twitter remarks, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the US administration’s decision to cut off all funding for UNRWA and its rejection of the Palestinian right of return made it an enemy of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim nations.
The US administration has decided recently to stop all funding it gives to the UN agency that provides assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees, ending a decades-long policy of supporting it.
The move was pushed strongly by Jared Kushner, president Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser on the Middle East, as part of a plan to force Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to drop demands for the return of many refugees to their homeland.
Each year, the state department transfers money by the end of September to UNRWA, which provides aid to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
In January, the state department released $65 million for the agency and announced it was withholding another $60 million that had already been allocated in a budget process for 2018. Recently, Kushner and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, met and decided not to give that amount or any further money.
The administration also intends during the coming weeks to release announcement calling for a sharp reduction in the number of Palestinians recognized as refugees, dropping it from more than five million, including descendants, to fewer than a tenth of that number, or those still alive from when the agency was created seven decades ago, according to US news reports.
Sheikh Yousef Abu Asnaina, preacher of the Aqsa Mosque, has warned that a dark future will prevail in the region as a result of the recent US hostile positions towards Occupied Jerusalem and the Palestinian people’s rights.
In his Friday khutba (sermon), Sheikh Abu Asnaina said that “the Palestinian people are facing more denial of their rights and pressures by the US, although the Palestinian side fulfilled the agreements it had signed with the Israelis and responded to the international community’s demands.”
“We do not want your assistance, and your positions have become exposed to the whole world,” he said, addressing the US administration.
In his Friday khutba (sermon), Sheikh Abu Asnaina said that “the Palestinian people are facing more denial of their rights and pressures by the US, although the Palestinian side fulfilled the agreements it had signed with the Israelis and responded to the international community’s demands.”
“We do not want your assistance, and your positions have become exposed to the whole world,” he said, addressing the US administration.
