Outrage as US freezes refugee aid
Palestinians condemn cut in funding for UN agency as cruel and biased
THE UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned yesterday it faced its worst funding crisis ever after the White House froze tens of millions of dollars in contributions, a move Palestinian leaders decried as cruel and blatantly biased. The agency provides Palestinian refugees and their descendants across the Middle East with services including schools and medical care, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long accused it of hostility toward Israel and called for its closure.
Some five million Palestinians are eligible for its services.
On Tuesday, the United States held back $65-million (R797-million) that had been destined for the agency, two weeks after President Donald Trump threatened future payments.
The United States is the largest contributor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA).
Senior Palestinian officials reacted with outrage to what they see as another move against them after Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Palestine Liberation Organisation senior member Hanan Ashrawi said the freeze amounted to cruelty toward an innocent and vulnerable population.
The Palestinian envoy to Washington, Husam Zomlot, said: “Palestinian refugees and children’s access to basic humanitarian services, such as food, healthcare and education, is not a bargaining chip but a US and international obligation.”
Palestinian officials also accused Trump of chipping away at issues long considered up for negotiation as part of a comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the status of Jerusalem and the plight of refugees.
About 500 people protested in the Gaza Strip yesterday against the freeze.
The funding freeze comes with relations between the Palestinians and Washington already on the brink.
On Sunday, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas denounced Trump’s peace efforts as the “slap of the century”, while Palestinian leaders have threatened to suspend their recognition of Israel.
US State Department officials insisted the decision to freeze the funding had been taken not to pressure Palestinian leaders, but to encourage other countries to help pay for and reform UNRWA.
But the call came after a behind-thescenes tussle between hawks who want to cut all aid to Palestinians and officials concerned about the humanitarian and diplomatic fallout.
The State Department said $60-million (R736-million) of what had been a planned $125-million (R1.5-billion) package would go through to keep the agency running.
UNRWA chief Pierre Krahenbuhl expressed alarm and immediately called on other UN members to contribute.
He said the $60-million would keep schools and hospitals open for now, but it was dramatically less than the $350-million (R4.3-billion) Washington paid last year.
Even as US officials said the decision was not aimed at the Palestinians but intended to provoke UN reform, Israel welcomed it as a victory.
Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon alleged the agency misused aid and “supports antiIsrael propaganda, perpetuates the plight of Palestinian refugees and encourages hate.” – AFP