The fabricated outcry against UNRWA conceals Western anger at the
ICJ's ruling, as a finding of plausible genocide against Israel
implicates the "enlightened" West in complicity.
Amid this nightmare, Arab silence is deafening. While public opinion
in the Global North is outraged and thousands are demonstrating daily,
what are the Palestinians’ Arab ‘brothers’ doing? Barely a few mild
statements of condemnation. None of the states who recognise Israel have
broken diplomatic relations, nor have those controlling land routes
from the Gulf halted supplies to Israel. In the Arab states there have
been no public demonstrations, even in Jordan with its majority
population of Palestinian origin, or Egypt with its millions, let alone
the GCC ……. Are all the kings and presidents on summer holiday?
For decades, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been a crucial indicator of
commitment to Palestinian well-being. Established in 1949 and intended
to be temporary prior to Palestinian refugees going home, it has become
the main UN agency providing humanitarian support and basic social
services to Palestinian refugees in five areas, Gaza, the West Bank,
Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Praised for its efficiency and management
despite minimal budgets and a hostile environment, UNRWA's strategic assessment
was addressed in June as part of the UN Secretary General’s UN80
initiative. After decades of Israeli reliance on UNRWA to fulfil its
international obligations for occupied populations, the current Israeli
regime is determined to dismantle the agency with the ultimate aim of
cancelling the Palestinian issue as a whole. This aligns with its
‘Greater Israel’ strategy aimed at eliminating Palestinian presence and
asserting complete control "from the River to the Sea."
In Gaza Israel has attacked and destroyed more than 300 UNRWA
facilities, killing at least 315 of its staff. In December 2024, it
banned the organisation from operating in Israeli ‘sovereign’ territory
and ended cooperation with UNRWA staff in Gaza and the West Bank,
dramatically reducing its ability to function. Despite this, UNRWA
continues its essential work in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
Funding has been a chronic problem for UNRWA, worsening recently with
the total and unjustified cancellation of all US funding in 2024. The
UK and Sweden also cut contributions, citing overall aid reductions and
unsubstantiated Israeli allegations that 9 out of 33,000 UNRWA staff
were involved in the October 2023 Hamas attacks. While none of the
assertions has been proven, and over half disproven, zero-risk is
impossible for an organisation operating under such appalling
conditions. UNRWA’s 2025 budget of USD 880 million was only 25% financed
by mid-May, anticipating a USD 200 million shortfall. This figure is
stark when compared to the UN’s humanitarian response plan for Yemen,
which is three times larger, despite UNRWA serving a more desperate
population with far more services.
In 2024, UNRWA’s total income was USD 1.3 billion with Germany and
the EU top contributors. The US contribution historically about USD 300
million annually, fell to USD 70.6 million before its complete
cancellation. Among Arab states, Qatar ranked highest [6] followed by
Saudi Arabia [11], Kuwait [15] and the UAE [20], with less wealthy
Jordan [28] following closely. The actual figures are available from the
UNRWA website
which provides details of all contributions above USD 1 000 and which
anyone can join by contributing this amount! The total contributions
from these four GCC states in 2024 accounted for less than 11% of
overall contributions. Individually, Saudi Arabia’s contribution was
less than France’s, Qatar’s less than Norway’s, Kuwait’s less than
Japan’s and the UAE’s less than Belgium’s!
Wealthy GCC states could atone for their pathetic and treacherous
political inaction by substantially supporting UNRWA’s heroic staff and
defending its neutrality. This would counter Israeli propaganda and
demonstrate vital human solidarity with the people of Gaza. Meaningful
financial support would enable UNRWA to continue providing essential
social and humanitarian services, as it is arguably the last remaining
social structure in Gaza, without which hopes for recovery and a
political solution might vanish entirely. Financing UNRWA’s entire
budget would be a mere fraction of their overall annual expenditures:
for example Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya entertainment project alone is
budgeted at USD 40 billion!
As Commissioner-General Lazzarini stated at the New York conference
on 28 July, ‘words of outrage and condemnation are no longer adequate
for what is unfolding. There must be immediate action to impose a long
overdue ceasefire, to reverse deepening starvation, and to release every
hostage. He emphasised that UNRWA staff ‘cling to the hope that they
will not be forgotten’ and that ‘the Agency they proudly work for is
vital to the survival and future of Palestinians and of Gaza’. He
affirmed that once a ceasefire is in place, UNRWA’s vast workforce,
unparalleled distribution networks, and deep community trust can enable a
massive scale-up of humanitarian assistance.
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