Is it time to redefine the US' role in Palestinian aid? - opinion

• Published date: 22 April 2024
• Author: CLINT VAN WINKLE/THE MEDIA LINE
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

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On Wednesday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the UN Security Council that a "deliberate and concerted campaign" was being carried out to bring UNRWA down at a time when its services are most critical.

"Today, an insidious campaign to end UNRWA's operations is underway, with serious implications for international peace and security," Lazzarini told the Security Council. "We must recognize and reflect in our words and actions that Palestinians and Israelis share a long and profound experience of grief and loss. That they are equally deserving of a peaceful and secure future."

UNWRA flounders; future uncertain

UNRWA's budget comes almost entirely from voluntary donations made by UN member countries. Before pausing funding in March in response to allegations of UNRWA employee participation in the Oct. 7 attacks, the US was UNRWA's largest funder, sending $350 million annually.

Germany and the European Union are the second and third largest UNRWA funders, contributing roughly $200 million and $114 million a year, respectively, to the organization's mission.

US politicians, led by House Republicans, have questioned America's role in funding UNRWA for years. In 2018, President Donald Trump cut off American support for UNRWA. President Joe Biden renewed the aid after he took office. As part of budget negotiations, US lawmakers agreed last month to pause UNRWA funding until 2025.

US Ambassador Robert Wood lauded UNRWA during the April 17 Security Council meeting, calling its humanitarian role in the region "indispensable."

"We urge UNRWA's continued humanitarian access in Gaza and the lifting of onerous restrictions on its work," Wood said.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan struck a different tone. Erdan told the UN Security Council that UNRWA is "the UN's single biggest obstacle to a solution" and that the organization is "creating a sea of Palestinian refugees, millions of them, indoctrinated to believe that Israel belongs to them. … The end goal is to use these so-called refugees and their libelous right of return—a right that doesn't exist—to flood Israel and destroy the Jewish state."

Nearly 6 million Palestinians are eligible for UNRWA services.

Jonathan Fowler, UNRWA senior communications manager, told The Media Line via email that UNRWA's work for Palestinian refugees "is governed by a mandate set down by the UN General Assembly in 1949 and repeatedly renewed since then."...