Congress passed a one-year ban on UNRWA funds as several Western countries have resumed funding the U.N. agency aiding Palestinian refugees.

The U.S. government will defund the United Nations agency that aids Palestinians through next year — even as 1.1 million people in Gaza face threats of famine in coming months — on the basis of flimsy allegations by Israel against a tiny minority of the agency’s staff that have yet to be proven.

The bill also contains a long-standing provision that would limit aid to the Palestinian Authority, which governs the occupied West Bank, if “the Palestinians initiate an International Criminal Court (ICC) judicially authorized investigation, or actively supports such an investigation, that subjects Israeli nationals to an investigation for alleged crimes against Palestinians.”

After a late-night vote, the Senate sent the bill to President Joe Biden to sign it into law on Saturday.

  • S_204@lemm.ee
    0·
    8 months ago

    The US has withdrawn funding over previous concerns. So has Canada. It seems like nothing’s changed other than the increased complicity with the various members participating in the attack in October.

    This organization’s existence needs to be looked at, the UNHCR is the organization for global refugees, one group doesn’t need their own agency. How does this one group have more employees than the group that handles the rest of the world? Nothing about UNRWA makes sense other than corruption and perpetuating the purported refugee crises. Bella Hadid is a refugee by their terms, she was born a millionaire. C’mon now. Get UNHCR there to start helping people ASAP.