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UK restores funding and boosts UNRWA finances
Sixteen countries withdrew funding from the UN agency in January, totaling $450 million, following unproven Israeli allegations that a dozen officials were involved in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.
Independent review
The UK’s foreign secretary in the new Labour government, David Lammy, made the announcement to MPs, signalling the first significant shift in the previous Conservative government’s stance on the Gaza crisis.
Mr Lammy told the House of Commons he was shocked by the allegations UNRWA involvement in the attacks, but was reassured after an independent review of the allegations carried out at the Secretary-General’s request by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. She reported that Israel had provided no evidence to support its allegations.
The Foreign Secretary said UNRWA had taken steps to ensure it met “the highest standards of neutrality”.
Immediate cash infusion
The UK will now provide around $27 million in funding to UNRWA, which will be spent on emergency food, shelter and other humanitarian supplies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
When allegations against the agency were first made, Britain joined the US and many others in suspending funding, but now the US stands alone in continuing to withhold money from UNRWA – the main provider and distributor of aid across the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Friday’s online post by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini highlighted the “human development and life-saving work” of the agency’s teams, which represent the main provider of aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region.
Mr. Lazzarini also reiterated his commitment to implementing the 50 recommendations of the independent report led by Ms. Colonna.
Last week, at a major pledging conference for UNRWA, where 118 Member States expressed a resounding commitment to the agency, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it Without more funding, Palestinian refugees “will lose a vital lifeline and the last ray of hope for a better future.”
“Let me be clear,” he added. “There is no alternative to UNRWA.”