In a move that has drawn sharp criticism from international humanitarian organizations, both the United States and the United Kingdom have withheld funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
This decision comes despite urgent appeals from the United Nations, which has described the agency as a “critical lifeline” for millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Israel has long opposed the existence of UNRWA, arguing that the agency perpetuates the refugee status of Palestinians and impedes the peace process. In recent years, Israeli officials have actively lobbied for the defunding and dismantling of the agency.
