The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is facing a diplomatic storm as several Western governments suspend their funding over allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel. This suspension of funding has significant implications for the 5.3 million Palestinian refugees registered with the agency, as UNRWA provides lifesaving assistance and key infrastructure in Gaza, which has been decimated by cycles of violence, siege, and impoverishment.
UNRWA was founded in 1949 to support Palestinians who were forced or fled from their homes with the creation of the state of Israel. It operates in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, providing medical, educational, and humanitarian aid to Palestinians. In Gaza alone, it employs 13,000 people and runs almost 300 primary schools, teacher training centers, and medical facilities.
However, UNRWA has long been a target of criticism from various sides. Israel accuses the agency of entrenching the status of Palestinians as refugees and perpetuating anti-Israel views through its teaching and textbooks. Israeli watchdog IMPACT-se has accused UNRWA of promoting “anti-Semitism, hate, intolerance, and lack of neutrality” in its educational material. The European Commission and European Parliament have also identified “anti-Semitic material” and incitement to violence in UNRWA’s schoolbooks.
The decision by Western governments to suspend funding for UNRWA is seen by Israel as an opportunity to bolster its argument and shift the focus away from criticism of its actions in Gaza. The US, the agency’s biggest donor, has frozen its contributions, as has Germany. Israel has long accused branches of the UN of bias and antisemitism.
While the violations of a handful of UNRWA staff should not impugn the entire agency, the funding freeze puts the agency in serious trouble and jeopardizes the lifesaving assistance and crucial infrastructure it provides in Gaza. The question arises of who will fill the gap left by UNRWA if the United Nations is not allowed to pick up the pieces of a shattered territory.
The diplomatic crisis surrounding UNRWA highlights the complex and contentious nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the issue of refugees. The fate of Palestinian refugees and their right of return to historic Palestine remains a core issue. The suspension of funding for UNRWA further exacerbates the precarious situation of Palestinian refugees and adds to the challenges of achieving a lasting and just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
