The discussion, held in New York, brought to the forefront the critical situation in the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
(photo credit: REUTERS/AMR ABDALLAH DALSH)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, stressed the severe consequences of discontinuing funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The Qatari PM emphasized that halting financial support to the agency could lead to “disastrous repercussions,” underscoring its pivotal role in ensuring regional stability and providing humanitarian relief.
The discussion, held in New York, brought to the forefront the critical situation in the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Prime Minister highlighted the indispensable contribution of UNRWA in supporting millions of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. With the potential threat to UNRWA’s funding, Sheikh Mohammed underscored the urgency of the matter, indicating that the stability of the region and the welfare of millions of people rely on the continuity of the agency’s operations.
“Stopping its funding would have far-reaching, disastrous repercussions,” Sheikh Mohammed articulated, pointing out the broader implications of such an action on regional peace and humanitarian conditions.
The meeting also saw the participation of Martin Griffiths, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
Calls to replace UNRWA
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community to replace UNRWA following Israeli allegations that 12 of its staff members participated in the Hamas-led October 7 massacre attack.“We exposed to the world that UNRWA is collaborating with Hamas, that some of its people even participated in the atrocities and abductions of October 7,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.
“This only strengthens what we have known for a long time – UNRWA is not part of the solution, it is part of the problem.
“The time has come to begin the process of replacing UNRWA with other bodies that are not tainted by support for terrorism,” he stated.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post