Amid conditions of famine, a polio outbreak, a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and virtually no healthcare system in Gaza, both President Biden and Congress have taken actions to halt U.S. funding for the leading aid organization providing relief to those in dire need.
Thankfully, new legislation introduced today by Reps. Andre Carson (IN-7), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), provides lawmakers a critical opportunity to right this wrong.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is considered the backbone of humanitarian operations on the ground, carrying out vital work in Gaza.
UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian operations in Gaza. The U.S. must restore funding for agency’s vital work supporting Palestinians in dire need.
The actions to halt UNRWA funding were taken following Israeli allegations that a small number of UNRWA employees partook in the October 7 Hamas attacks. While these are very serious accusations, the Israeli government has still not provided evidence to substantiate them. Meanwhile, the effect on Palestinians struggling to survive have been devastating.
What’s more, UNRWA has taken concrete steps towards accountability and transparency. The agency immediately terminated the contracts of the staff and launched an independent, outside review of UNRWA’s mechanisms and procedures.
All other 15 donor countries, including key U.S. allies like the U.K., France, and Germany, have resumed their funding to UNRWA, reflecting international confidence in UNRWA’s commitment to its mission.
Yet still, U.S. funding for UNRWA has been suspended until at least March 2025, raising grave concerns over the implications for the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza. This suspension also threatens UNRWA’s ability to deliver critical services such as shelter, education, and healthcare to millions of Palestinians across the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, potentially escalating regional instability.
The UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act (HR 9649) of 2024 aims to address the escalating humanitarian crisis by:
- Repealing the funding prohibitions on UNRWA included in the Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2024 and the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024;
- Expressing a sense of Congress supporting critical funds to UNRWA for fiscal year 2025, and emphasizing the irreplaceable nature of UNRWA’s aid operations;
- Requiring the Secretary of State to report to Congress on a quarterly basis on the steps UNRWA is taking to implement recommendations from the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) to further ensure the neutrality of its workforce;
- Urging the Secretary of State to swiftly rescind the pause in funding for UNRWA and resume funding the for the agency under current authorities of the State Department;
- Calling on the administration to rejoin other allied countries in resuming funding to UNRWA.
In the words of leading humanitarian experts, “the pause on UNRWA funding will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza. No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need.”
The UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act is a vital measure to tackle the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ensure that the U.S. is not complicit in worsening conditions of famine and the spread of infectious and deadly diseases.
FCNL strongly urges Congress to pass the UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to UNRWA’s essential work effectively address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
