US pauses funding for UNRWA

Washington/New York: The United States announced today that it has temporarily paused additional funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It said it took this decision given the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees “may have been” involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. 

According to the US Department of State, the pause will continue till the review of these allegations and the steps the United Nations was taking to address them.

US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on January 25, 2024, to emphasize the necessity of a “thorough and swift” investigation of this matter.

Guterres asked UNRWA head, Philippe Lazzarini, to refer any employees found to have taken part in or “abetted what transpired” in the brutal attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian militants that day, to be fired and referred “for potential criminal prosecution.” “The Secretary-General is horrified by this news and has asked Mr Lazzarini to investigate this matter swiftly and to ensure that any UNRWA employee shown to have participated or abetted what transpired on 7 October, or in any other criminal activity, be terminated immediately and referred for a potential criminal prosecution,” Guterres’ Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said in a statement issued today morning in New York.

“We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres’ pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate.  We also welcome the UN’s announcement of a “comprehensive and independent” review of UNRWA,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, emphasising that there must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7.

UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support.  Acknowledging that their work has saved lives, the US demanded that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures, including reviewing its existing policies and procedures.

“The United States has reached out to the Government of Israel to seek more information about these allegations, and we have briefed Members of Congress.  We will remain in close contact with the United Nations and the Government of Israel regarding this matter,” Miller said.

Incidentally, the US move to pause the funding of UNRWA comes just a couple of days after Israel hit its training centre in Khan Younis by direct fire. The strike was the third direct hit on this compound.  The centre housed 800 displaced people.  At least 13 people were killed and 56 injured, 21 of those people were injured critically, in what should have been a place of safety.

A day after the attack on the UNRWA training centre, the UN claimed on January 25, 2024, that throughout the day and into the early evening, ambulances and UNRWA emergency teams were being denied access to the site.  When they finally reached it last night, they were able to evacuate about 45 people.  The United Nations further stated that buildings flying the UN flag have been hit at least twice by tank fire, without any warning. “The near collapse of the health system and the lack of trauma care in Khan Younis city are making the humanitarian situation ever more intolerable and intense,” Dujarric said.

– global bihari bureau