Why the US must restore funding to UNRWA
An UNRWA aid worker distributes flour bags to Palestinians during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, 29 November 2023
Jehad Abusalim writes in Mondoweiss:
In recent days, a number of Western governments, led by the Biden administration, have announced a temporary halt in funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides critically important humanitarian aid for Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere in the region. The move follows the recent landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which found that Israel might be committing genocide in Gaza.
The decision to cut UNRWA’s funding comes in response to Israel’s claims that a dozen out of about 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza were implicated in the Hamas attack on October 7, and is part of a long pattern of measures by Israel and its allies that threaten the lives and well-being of Palestinians enduring Israel’s devastating onslaught. More importantly, the attack on UNRWA undermines the very post-World War II international order from which Israel itself emerged.
The cuts in funding to UNRWA will exacerbate the already dire situation in the Gaza Strip, where the actions of Israel have had devastating effects on Palestinians. Around 70 percent of Gaza’s residents now face extreme hardships of starvation and disease as Israel continues to impose restrictions on essential resources like food, water, electricity, and medical supplies. Israeli bombardment did not spare hospitals, schools, United Nations facilities, and bakeries. Entire towns and neighborhoods have been destroyed, leading to widespread displacement. These relentless actions have subjected Palestinians in Gaza to unprecedented levels of brutality and harshness.
The rush to cut funding to UNRWA by Western governments adds more pain to the many wounds of Palestinians in Gaza. Before Israel’s assault began, hundreds of thousands of families in Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli-imposed siege and blockade for more than 16 years, suffered from the highest rates of poverty and unemployment on a global scale, relying on UNRWA for food, medical treatment, and education. Today, with Gaza in ruins, the task of UNRWA and the very few humanitarian organizations operating on the ground in catching up to the ever-increasing humanitarian disaster becomes nearly impossible.