Bill in Congress set to cut off all US aid to UN agency for Palestinian refugees

WASHINGTON

A bill before the US Congress is set to cut off all funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees of UNRWA entirely, redirecting the money to other partners, such as the World Food Program and UNICEF, an official said.

“We will redirect funding for UNRWA to other partners to provide assistance in Gaza,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters, adding that the US is looking at what options there are for supporting civilians in Gaza through partners like the World Food Program, UNICEF, and other NGOs.

“This is a process we're going to continue to work through with appropriate regional interlocutors and other donor countries as well,” Patel said.

The remarks came after reports showing that a $118.3 billion Senate border security bill, which would also provide aid to Ukraine and Israel, does not include any funding for the UNRWA.

Patel said $1.4 billion is expected to be planned for Gaza, adding: “This is tangible money that we believe will save lives and have a direct impact on Palestinian civilians.”

At least 18 countries suspended funding for the agency based on Israel's allegations that a dozen of the agency's roughly 13,000 staff members in Gaza were involved in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas.

The UN agency has launched an investigation into the allegations, and UN Secretary-General Guterres has been engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity to have donors resume funding. The UNRWA said it could shut down all of its operations across the region this month if funding is not restored.

Patel said the US has not been “naive” about how critical UNRWA is both in Gaza, but also the region, adding that it also takes the allegations seriously and appreciates the serious way the UN is handling the allegations.

“We believe that we can continue to do important work through other NGOs and other partners. And simultaneously, we'll continue to have conversations with donor countries about supporting UNRWA and ways that they can continue doing their work in the region,” he added.