Washington, September 1
The Trump Administration has announced an end to all funding to the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA), alleging it to be “irredeemably flawed”.
“The administration has carefully reviewed the issue and determined that the United States will not make additional contributions to UNRWA,” State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said on Friday.
“The fundamental business model and fiscal practices that have marked UNRWA for years – tied to UNRWA’s endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries – is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years,” she said. “The US will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation,” Nauert said.
In January, it had made a $60 million contribution to the UNRWA. At the same time, she said the US was very mindful of and deeply concerned regarding the impact upon innocent Palestinians, especially schoolchildren, of the failure of the UNRWA and key members of the regional and international donor community to reform and reset the body.
These children are part of the future of the Middle East. Palestinians, wherever they live, deserve better than an endlessly crisis-driven service provision model.
As such, the US will intensify dialogue with the United Nations, host governments, and international stakeholders about new models and new approaches, which may include direct bilateral assistance from the US and other partners, that can provide today’s Palestinian children a more durable and dependable path towards a brighter tomorrow, Nauert said.
The UN regretted the US decision in this regard. “We regret the United States’ decision to provide no further funding to UNRWA, which provides essential services to Palestine refugees and contributes to stability in the region. The US has traditionally been the largest single contributor to UNRWA. We appreciate its support over the years,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said.
The UNRWA move is the latest in a number of actions by Trump that have alienated the Palestinians, including the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. — Agencies
UNRWA provides services to about 5 million refugees
- The 68-year-old United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA) provides services to about 5 million Palestinian refugees across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank and Gaza. Most are descendants of the roughly 7,00,000 Palestinians who were driven out of their homes or fled the fighting in the 1948 war that led to Israel’s creation
- The United States, by far UNRWA’s biggest donor, slashed funding earlier this year, paying out only $60 million of a first installment in January, and withholding $65 million. It had promised $365 million for the whole year. Washington said the agency needed to make reforms and called on the Palestinians to renew peace talks with Israel
- The last Palestinian-Israeli peace talks collapsed in 2014, partly because of Israel’s opposition to an attempted unity pact between the Fatah and Hamas Palestinian factions and to Israeli settlement building on occupied land that Palestinians seek for a state. Earlier this year Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu urged action against UNRWA
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