Israel – Hamas war: Why the US and other countries have suspended their support to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and what consequences it will have on Gaza

Gaza is rapidly becoming a wasteland, with few international organizations still able to provide aid to its residents: the United Nations is one of them.

The Palestine Refugee Relief and Reconstruction Agency (UNRWA) was established in 1949 and operates in Gaza, the West Bank as well as neighboring Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, serving 700,000 Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes. Had gone or those who had fled from there. Creation of the State of Israel.

Now, the agency’s management confirms that they are relying on the vital support Patti’s population of two million may be about to be wiped outSince several Western governments have suspended their funding due to allegations that some of their personnel were involved in the October 7 attacks against Israel.

Currently, the mission manages shelters for displaced persons and distributes the only aid that Israel allows in the area, but its mandate is much broader.

UNRWA provides key infrastructure and equipment for daily life that has been sorely lacking in Gaza during the endless cycles of violence, siege and impoverishment.

The agency runs medical and educational facilities, including teacher training centers and about 300 primary schools, as well as produces textbooks to educate Palestinian youth.

It employs about 13,000 people in Gaza alone, As the largest United Nations agency operating in the Strip, it has been vital to humanitarian efforts.

And it has also become a political football as it has been kicked around over the years.

The very existence of the agency is criticized by Israel. The reason? Strengthens the status of Palestinians as refugeesEncouraging their continued hopes of returning to the lands they abandoned in 1948 or during successive wars.

The fate of refugees is a central issue in the Arab–Israeli conflict. Many Palestinians dream of returning to historic Palestine, part of which is now Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel rejects that claim and often criticizes the creation of UNRWA for the way it allows people to obtain refugee status.

Over the years, various Israeli governments have condemned the agency’s teachings and textbooks because, in their view, they help perpetuate anti-Israel views.

In 2022, the Israeli watchdog organization Impact said that UNRWA educational materials taught students that Israel was attempting to “erase Palestinian identity, steal and falsify Palestinian heritage, and erase Jerusalem’s cultural heritage”.

Similarly, he also condemned that the agency promoted “Anti-Semitism, hatred, intolerance and lack of neutrality”,

The European Commission identified “anti-Semitic content” in schoolbooks, including “even incitement to violence.”

The European Parliament, for its part, has repeatedly called for the Palestinian National Authority to make the removal of such material from the European Union (EU) a condition.

In turn, UNRWA responded that it issued reports regarding its educational content. “False and misleading” and that many of the books in question were not used in their schools.

In 2018, the administration of Donald Trump, a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, completely suspended financial support for UNRWA, calling the body “hopelessly flawed”.

Following allegations that several of the agency’s employees had allegedly taken part in the October 7 attack by Hamas, several Western governments have announced they will be halting their funding to the agency. This decision represents for the organization and the 5.3 million Palestinian refugees registered with it, critical issues,

The United States, one of the first countries to adopt this measure, is UNRWA’s largest donor and contributed approximately US$340 million in 2022 alone.

Germany, which has also suspended its funding, is in second place, sending $162 million last year.

The United Kingdom and Italy have also said they will block their payments to the agency and governments in the past few hours Japan and Austria join the group,

Announcing its decision, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said it was “deeply concerned about the alleged involvement of UNRWA personnel in the terrorist attack against Israel.”

Israel has long accused various branches of the UN of bias, anti-Semitism and worse. And now, facing growing criticism at home and abroad over the war in Gaza, the government has taken this opportunity to strengthen its argument and, in some ways, change the focus.

For Israel’s allies, it is an opportunity to show understanding and support while also maintaining pressure on their government to stop aggression.

Despite the suspension of funding to UNRWA, White House National Security Advisor John Kirby assured that the breach by a handful of its staff “should not harm the entire agency,” which had “vital work.” “Helped save literally thousands of lives in Gaza”,

In an interview with the BBC, Juliet Touma, director of communications at UNRWA, acknowledged that allegations of agency staff involvement in the events of 7 October were “extremely serious”.

However, he warned of the consequences the suspension of funding would have on Gaza’s residents.

“People continue to be displaced. People are hungry. Time is running fast towards famine“, he claimed.

“The funding shortfall that we are facing now, when at least the 10 largest donors have temporarily halted funding, will have very serious consequences on the largest humanitarian operation in Gaza at this time.”, he concluded.

Although he admitted that They have not seen evidence in the organization Linking workers to Hamas attacksIndicated that the investigation is ongoing.

Over the weekend, agency head Philip Lazzarini said nine employees were fired.

For his part, the Israeli Foreign Minister has described UNRWA as “the civilian wing of Hamas” and said it should play no role in Gaza following the current conflict.

This raises the question: If the United Nations is not allowed to pick up the pieces of the broken territory, who will?

*With articles by Mark Loewen, BBC Jerusalem correspondent, and Robert Plummer

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