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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which has been affected by the suspension of US funding, announced that it lacks the necessary funds to pay the salaries of its employees during the months November and December.
The agency spokeswoman, Tamara Al-Rifai, told “Agence France-Presse” that “the agency has never recovered from the funding cut imposed by President Donald Trump in 2018,” and noted that the annual support that States Unidos provided the agency amounted to $ 365 million and represents about a third of its budget. The annual amount is $ 1.24 billion.
This affects the lives of millions of Palestinian refugees who depend on the Agency’s services in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Al-Rifai explained that “the deficit was filled in 2019 with additional support from several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait,” noting that “the European Union and European countries also helped close the gap. , especially Germany. “
But he realized that “this year’s financial support has waned” and the spread of the new Corona virus “did not help” as major donors faced increasing financial pressure.
“The lack of funding affects 28,000 employees spread across Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza,” the agency’s commissioner general, Philip Lazzarini, said in a statement, adding that the agency “needs to provide 70 million of dollars to be able to pay full salaries during the months of October. ” The second and the first “.
She added: “What saddens me most is my knowledge that the salaries of healthcare workers and environmental health workers who are active on the front lines with courage and consistency, and that the salaries of our teachers who work for ensure continued education of students during the health crisis are at risk. “
UNRWA has come under constant criticism from the Israelis, arguing that its presence is no longer needed after decades of conflict in 1948 and caused the displacement of more than 760,000 Palestinian refugees.
Regarding the possible impact of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election in terms of resuming funding, Al-Rifai said UNRWA is “very optimistic that the United States will resume its support.”
In response to a question on whether the agency received specific commitments from the new administration, he said: “We have dealt closely with Biden’s campaign team, and they are aware of the role of” UNRWA “in achieving stability in the region.
Biden’s campaign website said in 2020 that it would provide “humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people,” but did not directly mention UNRWA.
Founded in 1949, UNRWA is responsible for providing assistance, education and protection to Palestinian refugees, as well as health services for approximately 5.7 million Palestinian refugees.
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