[News] Trump cuts contributions that provides emergency humanitarian services to 5 million Palestinian refugees

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/trump-cut-causes-worst-financial-crisis-unrwa-history 



  Trump cut causes "worst financial crisis" in UNRWA history

Ali Abunimah <https://electronicintifada.net/people/ali-abunimah> - 17 
January 2018

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This is the worst financial crisis in UNRWA’s history,” Chris Gunness, 
the spokesperson for the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees, 
told The Electronic Intifada on Wednesday.

Gunness’ dire warning came the day after the Trump administration 
announced a savage cut in US contributions to the organization that 
provides basic health, education and emergency humanitarian services to 
five million Palestinian refugees.

On Tuesday, the State Department announced 
<https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2018/01/277473.htm> that the US was 
withholding more than half of a $125 million payment that was due to 
UNRWA this month.

While $60 million would be paid immediately, State Department 
spokesperson Heather Nauert said that the remainder was being “frozen” 
and “held for future consideration.”

The US has been the largest single donor to UNRWA, providing almost $370 
million of the agency’s $1.2 billion budget 
<https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/donor_ranking_with_un_agencies_overall.pdf> 
in 2016.

The cut makes good on threats 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/trump-punish-palestinians-example-rest-world> 
President Donald Trump and his UN ambassador Nikki Haley made in recent 
weeks to slash funding for Palestinians in retaliation for the 
Palestinian Authority’s objection to the US recognition of Jerusalem as 
Israel’s capital and its rejection of American sponsorship of currently 
nonexistent peace negotiations.

Haley had reportedly advocated for the US funding to be cut completely, 
despite her previous public support for the agency’s work, including a 
photo-op with child refugees last June.

In a post on Twitter 
<https://twitter.com/nikkihaley/status/872818534371512321> at the time, 
Haley said her visit to an UNRWA school gave her “the chance to talk 
with girls and women about their lives, their hopes and their dreams.”

But according to /The Washington Post/ 
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2018/01/16/tillerson-prevails-over-haley-in-palestinian-funding-debate/?utm_term=.2136a28422cf>, 
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson prevailed over Haley in the internal 
battle over the funding.

Tillerson reportedly raised the matter “personally with Trump and 
secured the president’s agreement to support the State Department’s 
position” that not all the funding should be cut.

Israel has also called for the dismantling 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/how-israel-hopes-make-palestinian-refugees-disappear> 
of UNRWA, as part of its drive to eliminate support for the rights of 
Palestinian refugees who remain in exile due to Israel’s refusal to 
allow them to return home solely because they are not Jews.


    Health and futures at stake

The impact is likely to be felt immediately by some of the world’s most 
vulnerable people.

“At stake is the access of 525,000 boys and girls in 700 UNRWA schools, 
and their future. At stake is the dignity and human security of millions 
of Palestine refugees, in need of emergency food assistance and other 
support in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” 
UNRWA commissioner-general Pierre Krähenbühl said following the US 
announcement 
<https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/statement-unrwa-commissioner-general-pierre-kr%C3%A4henb%C3%BChl-1>. 
“At stake is the access of refugees to primary healthcare, including 
prenatal care and other life-saving services.”

Krähenbühl urged other donor states and individuals around the world “to 
rally in support” of UNRWA’s work with funding and donations to replace 
the American contribution.

He offered assurances to Palestinian refugees that “we are working with 
absolute determination to ensure that UNRWA services continue” and told 
students that schools would stay open “so you can receive your cherished 
education.”

But despite those assurances, the agency has already laid off dozens of 
teachers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and about 100 
workers in Jordan, the Israeli newspaper /Haaretz/ reported Tuesday 
<https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/unrwa-begins-laying-off-workers-ahead-of-expected-cut-in-u-s-aid-1.5742386>.

UNRWA employs about 30,000 people, the vast majority of them Palestinian 
refugees.

In face of the crisis, Krähenbühl called on the agency’s doctors, 
nurses, school principals, teachers, guards, sanitation laborers, social 
workers and support staff to “be at your duty stations to serve the 
community with the same dedication and commitment that you have always 
shown.”


    Public support urged

Krähenbühl’s statement also apparently responds to US claims that the 
agency needs “reform.” State Department spokesperson Nauert said that 
the US would “take a look at UNRWA, trying to make sure that the money 
is best spent.”

“The US government has consistently commended our high impact, 
transparency and accountability,” Krähenbühl said. “This was reiterated, 
once again, during my latest visit to Washington in November 2017, when 
every senior US official expressed respect for UNRWA’s role and for the 
robustness of its management.”

The agency has long been the target of smear campaigns by Israel and its 
lobby groups who believe that its mere existence keeps alive the issue 
of Palestinian refugees – who they view as a “demographic threat 
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/demographic-threat>” to Israel on 
the racist grounds that they are not Jewish.

In an effort to mitigate the humanitarian impact, UNRWA is turning to 
the public for support.

Its website features a prominent call <https://www.unrwa.org/donate> for 
public donations in response to the “dramatic reduction of US funding” 
and urges social media users to support the agency with the hashtag 
#ForPalestineRefugees.

UNRWA USA <https://www.unrwausa.org>, a charity that supports UNRWA’s 
work with Palestinians, sent out an email Tuesday calling for donations 
and launching a petition 
<https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/i-want-the-united-states> to urge the 
White House to reconsider its decision.


-- 
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