One by one, the contributors close the financial floodgates. No less than eight countries, led by the United States, have announced in the last 24 hours that they are suspending their aid to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. The latter, according to the Israeli government, counts among its employees people who played a role in the attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7.
But what is Unrwa really? What is his role ? His history ? We tell you more.
Born at the creation of Israel
UNRWA was born in December 1949 via the UN General Assembly, after the first Arab-Israeli conflict which broke out the day after the creation of Israel, in May 1948. The agency was to provide humanitarian assistance and protection. to Palestinian refugees registered in its area of operations, “while awaiting a just and lasting solution to their situation”.
More than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled their lands between April and August 1948 when Israel was created, according to the UN. These people, as well as their descendants, have the status of refugees. And UNRWA is the only guarantor by default of their international status.
Unrwa intervenes in the Palestinian territories but also in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Some 5.9 million Palestinians are registered with it, and can benefit from services that include education, health care, social services, camp infrastructure, microfinance and emergency aid, including in times of armed conflict.
There are a total of around sixty refugee camps managed by the agency, including 19 in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. More than 540,000 children study in UNRWA schools.
13,000 employees in Gaza
In the Gaza Strip, where Hamas took power in 2007, the humanitarian situation was already critical before the start of the war between Israel and the Islamist movement.
The 365 km2 territory has eight camps and around 1.7 million refugees, according to the UN, for a total population of around 2.4 million people.
Of the 30,000 people employed by the agency, 13,000 work in the Gaza Strip, spread across more than 300 facilities, according to the organization’s website.
A first break with Trump
In 2018, the United States of Donald Trump, the largest contributor to UNRWA, ended its annual financial aid of 300 million dollars (270 million euros).
Israel – which had welcomed the American decision – accuses UNRWA of “perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” by maintaining the idea that many Palestinians are refugees with the right to return to the land.
Washington resumed its payments from 2021, after the election of President Joe Biden.
October 7 and the current crisis
This Friday, Unwra separated itself from several employees (twelve according to the United States) accused of being involved in the Hamas attack on October 7. Washington “temporarily” suspended all additional funding, and other countries followed: Canada, Australia, Italy, United Kingdom, Finland, Netherlands, Germany.
In 2022, funds from the UN regular budget and contributions from other UN entities amounted to $44.6 million.