Boost for UNRWA As UK’s New Govt Restore Funding

News Desk 

New York: The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, welcomed the decision by the United Kingdom on Friday to resume funding of the agency at a critical time, as the agency continues to come under harsh and unprecedented attacks from Israel which is campaigning to dismantle it.

Sixteen countries pulled funding from the UN agency in January worth $450 million following unproven Israeli allegations  that a dozen of its staff members had been involved in the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

The UK’s Foreign Secretary in the new Labour Government, David Lammy, made the announcement to MPs signaling the first significant shift from the previous Conservative administration’s stance on the Gaza crisis.

Lammy told the House of Commons he had been appalled at the allegations of UNRWA involvement in the attacks but had been reassured following an independent review of the allegations carried out at the Secretary-General’s request by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna. She reported that Israel had provided no evidence to back up their claims.

The Foreign Secretary said UNRWA had taken steps now to ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality.

The UK will now reportedly provide some $27 million in funding for UNRWA to be spent on food, shelter and other emergency humanitarian supplies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

When the allegations against the agency were first made, Britain joined the US and many others in suspending funding but the US now stands alone in continuing to withhold cash for UNRWA  the chief provider and distributer of aid across the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Friday’s online post by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini highlighted the lifesaving and human development work of the agency’s teams who represent the main aid provider for millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region.

Lazzarini also reiterated his commitment to implementing the 50 recommendations of the independent report headed by Colonna. 

Last week at a major pledging conference for UNRWA where a resounding commitment to the agency was expressed by 118 Member States, the UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said that without more funding, Palestine refugees “will lose a critical lifeline and the last ray of hope for a better future.”

“Let me be clear”, he added. “There is no alternative to UNRWA.”