BICOM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed that funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) should be redirected to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN body responsible for all other refugees in the world.

“I fully agree with [US] President [Donald] Trump’s strong criticism of the UNRWA organisation,” Netanyahu told his ministers during yesterday’s weekly cabinet meeting. “UNRWA is an organisation that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem. It also perpetuates the narrative of the right-of-return, as it were, in order to eliminate the State of Israel; therefore, UNRWA needs to pass from the world,” he added.

Netanyahu made similar comments about dismantling UNRWA in June last year — a message he said at the time he had conveyed to the US ambassador to the UN. Praising Trump’s “critical approach” on the aid issue, Netanyahu steered clear of advocating a full suspension of funding for the Palestinians.

“I made a simple suggestion that UNRWA support funds should be gradually transferred to the UN High Commission for Refugees, with clear criteria for supporting real refugees rather than fictitious refugees, as is the case today under UNRWA,” he said.

Channel Two News reported that diverting funds from UNRWA to the UNHCR would ensure that funds ultimately end up for their intended humanitarian purpose and that it would avert a humanitarian crisis at Israel’s doorstep.

Last week, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that the US may reduce funding to UNRWA if the Palestinians continue to refuse to negotiate with Israel. Trump said he plans to suspend $125m of the US’s total $370m contribution to UNRWA’s annual budget, though no final decision has been made according to the US State Department.

UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said last week that the UN agency had not been “informed directly of a formal decision either way by the US administration”.

In 2016, the US was the largest donor to UNRWA contributing $368m, which totalled 29 per cent of pledges in 2016 (the 2nd largest donor was the EU with $160m and the UK the fifth largest donating $73m in 2016).