US ends all funding to UN agency supporting Palestinian refugee

UNRWA, which assists more than five million registered Palestinian refugees, says it now faces the threat of major closures to its network of schools and health centres

WASHINGTON DC: 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 United States will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation, Nauert said.

In January, it had made a USD 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 school children, 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. They deserve to be able to plan for the future, she said.

As such, the United States 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 United States and other partners, that can provide today's Palestinian children a more durable and dependable path towards a brighter tomorrow, Nauert said.

The United Nations 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," a statement attributable to Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-general, said.

The UNRWA enjoys the full confidence of the Secretary-general. Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl has led a rapid, innovative and tireless effort to overcome the unexpected financial crisis UNRWA has faced this year, Dujarric said.

It has expanded the donor base, raised considerable new funding, and explored new avenues of support. In addition, the UNRWA took extraordi- nary internal management measures to increase efficiencies and reduce costs, he said.

The UNRWA, he asserted, has a strong record of providing high-quality education, health and other essential services, often in extremely difficult circumstances, to Palestine refugees who are in great need.

"The Secretary-general calls on other countries to help fill the remaining financial gap, so that UNRWA can continue to provide this vital assistance, as well as a sense of hope this vulnerable population," the UN state- ment said.

UNRWA, which was established in 1949, was already facing a financial crisis after Trump announced a $300 million funding freeze in January.

The agency, which assists more than five million registered Palestinian refugees, says it now faces the threat of major closures to its network of schools and health centres.

Mahmoud Mubarak, director of the communityrun committees that run the 19 refugee camps in the West Bank which accommodate some 500,000 Palestinians, warned of the “very serious repercussions” of the US move.

Mubarak said representatives of the committees would be meeting on Tuesday to discuss their options.

In the impoverished Gaza Strip, where most children attend UNRWA schools, 55-year-old Hisham Saqallah said the US move was “political blackmail” that would merely increase unrest. “If they stop aid to schools, this means destroying the futures of a large number of students and throwing them into the street,” he said.

“I do not think that it can eliminate our Palestinian cause. It is a just cause. If the aid is stopped, the Palestinian struggle will continue.”