The UN Aid and Works Company for Palestinian Refugees within the Close to East (UNRWA), which is the principle humanitarian company in Gaza, has been going through an unprecedented funding disaster after its predominant worldwide donors led by the US reduce its funding over “terror” allegations.
The UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini has dubbed the steps to droop funding an “extra collective punishment” for Palestinians already reeling from almost 4 months of continuous Israeli bombardment.
The termination of assist got here swiftly after Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees of involvement within the October 7 Hamas assault inside Israel. The UN has taken motion in opposition to UNRWA employees linked to the assault, however has voiced its opposition to the defunding.
“Because the conflict in Gaza is being pursued unabated, and on the time the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice requires extra humanitarian help, it’s the time to bolster and to not weaken UNRWA,” Lazzarini stated in an announcement on Thursday.
“If the funding stays suspended, we’ll most certainly be compelled to close down our operations by finish of February not solely in Gaza but in addition throughout the area.”
Israeli allegations nonetheless not verified
The Palestinians have accused Israel of falsifying info to tarnish UNRWA in Gaza, which employs 13,000 individuals, who run faculties, healthcare clinics and different important companies. Specialists have stated the Israeli allegations stay unverified.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated on Tuesday that Israel has not but shared the intelligence file with the UN.
Yasmine Ahmed, the UK director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), informed Al Jazeera that HRW will not be conscious that the UN, or in any of the states that fund UNRWA, have seen any written documentation of proof that establishes what has been alleged by Israel.
“That isn’t to say that that has not been supplied,” she added.
Ahmed stated that HRW has requested the UK authorities what written proof they noticed of the allegations that led them to droop the funding.
Right here is extra concerning the UNRWA and the way essential it’s to Palestinians, notably in Gaza.
Why was UNRWA created?
UNRWA was created by the UN Normal Meeting on December 8, 1949, to supply fundamental assist together with meals, healthcare and schooling to tens of 1000’s of Palestinian refugees. Greater than 700,000 Palestinians have been forcefully displaced main as much as Israel’s creation in 1948, which Palestinians bear in mind as the Nakba, or “the disaster”.
The UNRWA operations are unfold throughout the occupied West Financial institution – together with East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
What does it do?
UNRWA helps some six million Palestinian refugees who dwell inside and outdoors Palestine. It is sort of a quasi-state offering direct companies, corresponding to faculties, major well being centres and different social companies. It additionally offers loans to Palestinians.
Nonetheless, it doesn’t run refugee camps, as the upkeep of legislation and order and safety are usually not a part of its mandate.
UNRWA operates individually from the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which was additionally established in 1949. Whereas UNHCR offers momentary safety and help to refugees, it doesn’t have a mandate over Palestinian refugees throughout the UNRWA fields of operations.
Though it offers humanitarian assist to Palestinians, the UNRWA physique doesn’t have a mandate to resettle Palestine refugees, which Israel opposes.
In 2021, about 545,000 youngsters have been enrolled in UNRWA faculties; Social Security Internet Programme (SSNP) help reached 398,044 beneficiaries; and 1.7 million obtained essential humanitarian assist.
Why is it necessary for Palestinians?
UNRWA helps Palestinians in a number of methods, offering them with a number of sources.
Since Israel launched its conflict on Gaza on October 7, roughly one million Palestinians from Gaza, or almost 45 % of the enclave’s inhabitants, have been sheltering in UNRWA faculties, clinics and different public buildings. UNRWA faculties and buildings function past capability to supply shelter to internally displaced Palestinians who’ve very restricted protected areas to go to.
Almost all the inhabitants in Gaza now depends on UNRWA for fundamental requirements, together with meals, water and hygiene provides.
The UN company employs 1000’s of Palestinians in its faculties, healthcare centres and different social programmes offering much-needed employment alternatives to Palestinians dwelling beneath Israeli occupation for the previous seven a long time.
Greater than 30,000 Palestinians within the Gaza Strip, West Financial institution and in huge refugee camps in neighbouring Arab international locations work for the UNRWA. Its companies in Gaza have elevated in significance since 2005, when Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade inflicting an financial collapse with one of many highest unemployment charges on this planet.
In December 2023, the Worldwide Labour Organisation and the Palestinian Statistics Bureau decided that a minimum of 66 % of employment was misplaced in Gaza for the reason that conflict broke. UNRWA helps curb the unemployment hole amongst Palestinians by offering them with employment.
Who’re the most important donors to UNRWA?
In 2022, the UNRWA’s prime authorities donors have been the US, Germany, the European Union, Sweden, Norway, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Turkey.
The US, Germany and Switzerland have suspended funding to UNRWA following the allegations.
The European Union (EU) introduced on Monday that it could overview whether or not it might proceed to fund UNRWA in mild of the allegations. Nonetheless, the physique doesn’t foresee any extra funding for the organisation till the top of February.
Norway, one of many prime donors, urged fellow donor international locations to mirror on the broader penalties of the funding cuts.
“UNWRA is a crucial lifeline for 1.5 million refugees in Gaza. Now greater than ever, the company wants worldwide assist. To keep away from collectively punishing thousands and thousands of individuals, we have to distinguish between what people could have carried out and what UNRWA stands for,” Espen Barth Eide, the Norwegian overseas minister, informed Reuters on Wednesday.
What number of camps and Palestinian refugees does UNRWA have?
- In Gaza, 1,476,706 Palestinians are registered as refugees in eight Palestinian refugee camps.
- Within the occupied West Financial institution, a few quarter of 871,537 registered refugees dwell in 19 refugee camps, whereas others dwell in cities and villages.
- There are 9 official and three unofficial camps in Syria, the place 575,234 registered Palestine refugees dwell.
- 489,292 Palestinian refugees dwell in Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps.
- 2,307,011 refugees dwell in Jordan, the place there are 10 UNRWA camps. There are three unofficial camps and different refugees dwell across the camps.
What does the help freeze imply for Palestinians?
Now that UNRWA’s greatest donors have frozen assist to it, there’s a dire hunger risk to Palestinians in and outdoors of Gaza.
“It’s tough to think about that Gazans will survive this disaster with out UNRWA,” stated Thomas White, director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza and UN deputy humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory.
“Rafah has change into a sea of individuals fleeing bombardments,” he stated, referring to the relentless Israeli bombing that has destroyed greater than 70 % of the homes in Gaza and displaced almost two million individuals.
Why does Israel need to weaken UNRWA?
Israel has lengthy advocated for the dismantling of UNRWA, arguing that its mission is out of date. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that UNRWA is “perforated with Hamas”.
Netanyahu’s accusations in opposition to UNRWA haven’t been backed by info. His assertion that UNRWA has been infiltrated by Hamas has been questioned as a result of the UN company shares the listing of its employees with Israel.
“Yearly, UNRWA shares its listing of employees with the host international locations the place it really works,” stated Stephane Dujarric. “For the work that it does in Gaza and the West Financial institution, UNRWA shares the listing of employees with each the Palestinian Authority and with the Israeli authorities, because the occupying energy for these areas.”
Israel has lengthy sought to finish UNRWA, arguing that the UN physique “perpetuated” the difficulty of Palestinian refugees as a result of it permits Palestinians to transfer refugee status throughout generations and Israel has refused to simply accept the proper of return to those refugees.
Israel’s current allegations in direction of UNRWA staff surfaced the identical day because the ICJ’s interim ruling ordering Israel to stop genocidal acts and scale up assist to Gaza.
“I don’t assume it’s coincidental that these allegations got here out instantly after the ICJ ruling,” stated Diana Buttu, a Palestinian authorized professional in worldwide legislation. “It’s designed to deflect from the ICJ ruling and focus the eye on UNRWA and to undermine any makes an attempt to carry Israel accountable or cease the genocide.”
Former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray wrote that accusations in opposition to the 12 UNRWA employees members “present a propaganda counter-narrative to the ICJ judgment, and to cut back the credibility of UNRWA’s proof earlier than the courtroom”.
Unbelievable. The BBC simply led their information with an 8 minute lengthy section on the unevidenced allegations of UNRWA employees involvement with Hamas.
Far better protection than they gave to the ICJ interim ruling that Israel is plausibly committing genocide.
The BBC is an utter shame.— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) January 28, 2024
Israel additionally needs to get rid of UNRWA to pressure Palestinians in Gaza and the West Financial institution emigrate elsewhere out of desperation, in keeping with Zaid Amali, a UNRWA cardholder and a civil society activist within the West Financial institution.
There may be proof that Israel has persistently tried to forcefully displace Palestinians, apart from the lengthy historical past of state-backed settlers displacing Palestinians from the West Financial institution and East Jerusalem, Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have recently reiterated concepts for Palestinians “voluntarily migrating” out of Gaza, an euphemism for compelled displacement.
“This step of focusing on UNRWA feeds into this total aim of displacing extra Palestinians [from their land] so as to construct extra unlawful settlements,” he told Al Jazeera.
