President Biden’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN) called for “fundamental changes” to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) before the United States resumes funding for the agency.
The Biden administration announced last week that it would suspend funding to UNRWA over the suspected involvement of more than a dozen staff members in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
“UNRWA brought this information to us and they are investigating it. We know we need to see fundamental changes before direct funding resumes.” Linda Thomas-Greenfield Said At a stakeout at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.
“And, as you know, we must not let that cloud the great work that UNRWA does,” Thomas-Greenfield added. “UNRWA is providing essential humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, and UNRWA is the only organization on the ground able to provide that assistance on an ongoing basis.”
The State Department announced Friday that the United States would stop funding the agency. Funding was suspended under the Trump administration, but the Biden administration reinstated funding in 2021.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said last week: “The United States is deeply troubled by allegations that 12 UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.” .
“While we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them, the State Department has temporarily suspended additional funding to UNRWA,” Miller continued.
Republican presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley, a former U.N. ambassador under President Trump, criticized President Biden on Tuesday for his decision to restore funding to UNRWA in the first place.
“I sat in President Trump’s office and said, ‘We have to stop funding UNRWA.’ The State Department fought with me on this. I knew everyone on the staff,” Haley recalled in an interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”
“It’s not safe for us, it’s not safe for our friends. And we knew that, so Biden and the State Department went back and funded it. It’s terrible.” she said.
Some in Biden’s party say the decision will only exacerbate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and have called on him to return the funds.
“Cutting off support to @UNRWA, the primary source of humanitarian aid to over 2 million Gazans, is unacceptable,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York). I wrote it on Monday’s X.formerly known as Twitter.
“In a body of 13,000 United Nations aid workers, it is indefensible to risk starvation to millions of people due to serious charges against 12 people.”
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