UNRWA Faces Existential Threat Amidst Israeli Ban and US Funding Cuts

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) faces an "existential threat" due to an Israeli ban on its operations and the continued suspension of US funding. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, during a visit to Beirut on Thursday, stated that the agency aims to continue its operations despite the challenges. Israel's ban, implemented last week, has forced international UNRWA staff to leave East Jerusalem due to visa expirations. While operations in Gaza and the West Bank remain unaffected for now, the agency faces significant pressure from the US under the Trump administration. The US President has proposed resettling Palestinians in Gaza in neighboring Arab countries and taking long-term control of Gaza, a proposal Lazzarini deems "totally unrealistic" and a form of "ethnic cleansing." The US has not resumed funding for UNRWA since January 2024, following accusations by Israel that UNRWA staff in Gaza participated in the October 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel. While other donor countries have resumed funding, the US remains the only major contributor to withhold support. Lazzarini has appealed to Gulf Arab countries and other donors to increase contributions, describing the agency as a target of a "massive disinformation campaign" aimed at dismantling it. UNRWA's opponents argue that the agency prolongs the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by granting refugee status to descendants of Palestinian refugees, thus maintaining their right of return. Lazzarini emphasizes that UNRWA provides essential public services to 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, as well as 3 million more in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. He argues that the agency's mandate should end only as part of a political process leading to a Palestinian state, allowing UNRWA to hand over its services to a Palestinian institution. The alternative, he warns, would be the agency's collapse, resulting in further suffering for one of the region's most vulnerable populations.