Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Wed 05/28/2025 View Tue 05/27/2025 View Mon 05/26/2025 View Sun 05/25/2025 View Sat 05/24/2025 View Fri 05/23/2025 View Thu 05/22/2025
2018-09-03 Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Palestine Considers Resorting to Security Council over UNRWA Funding Cut
That would be the UN Security Council, where the United States of America has veto power? Clever.
[ASHARQ] Palestinians, the United Nations and the Arab League have widely condemned the US administration's decision to suspend United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) funding and vowed to confront it in all ways, while Israel welcomed the decision.

President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership are considering going to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
... a powerless talk shop ...
and the Security Council
...where President Trump’s America has a permanent seat and the previously mentioned veto power...
to challenge the US decision stopping all aid to the UNRWA, in order to take the necessary measures to prevent getting the situation out of hand,
Too late. But since y’all have been denouncing everything Trump, you might not have noticed ...
said presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh on Saturday.

“This US decision does not serve peace, but rather promotes terrorism in the region and is also an attack on the rights of the Palestinian people,” Abu Rudeineh said, pointing out that this decision is only one in a series of decisions and policies that are hostile to the Palestinian people.

Continued from Page 2



The US decision came a few days after US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced that its administration questions the of Palestinian “right of return.”

"We will be a donor if it [UNRWA] reforms what it does ... if they actually change the number of refugees to an accurate account, we will look back at partnering them," Haley said.

UNRWA provides services to about 5 million Palestinian refugees across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank and Gaza. But US and Israeli reports noted that Trump’s administration will only pay for the descendants of the roughly 500,000 Palestinians who were driven out of their homes.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Friday that UNRWA’s business model and fiscal practices were an “irredeemably flawed operation” and that the agency’s “endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries is simply unsustainable.”

The US administration has "carefully reviewed" the issue and "will not make additional contributions to UNRWA," spokeswoman Nauert indicated.

UNRWA also rejected the criticisms with spokesman Chris Gunness describing it as “a force for regional stability.”

Speaking in Jordan, Gunness said: “It is a deeply regrettable decision...some of the most disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable people on this planet are likely to suffer.”

In the name of UNRWA, Spokesman Sami Mshasha expressed the Agency’s deep regret and disappointment at the US announcement that it will no longer provide funding to the Agency after decades of staunch political and financial support.

“UNRWA will pursue with even greater determination and engagement its mobilization of existing partners, 20 of whom have to date contributed more money than in 2017, including countries from the Gulf, Asia and Europe, and of new ones,” Mashasha asserted.

Meanwhile, the German government said it will significantly increase its funding for the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees after the US cut its contributions, according to letters seen by news agencies.

"We are currently preparing to provide an additional amount of significant funds," Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a letter to EU foreign ministers.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep regret on Friday over a United States decision to stop all aid to the UNRWA.

“We regret the United States’ decision to provide no further funding to UNRWA, which provides essential services to Palestine refugees and contributes to stability in the region,” said Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric, explaining that UNRWA enjoys the “full confidence of the Secretary-General.”

UNRWA has a strong record of providing high-quality education, health and other essential services, often in extremely difficult circumstances, to Palestinian refugees who are in great need, according to the UN spokesman.

“The Secretary-General calls on other countries to help fill the remaining financial gap so that UNRWA can continue to provide this vital assistance, as well as a sense of hope this vulnerable population,” added Dujarric.

Saeb Erekat, PLO Executive Committee Secretary General totally rejected and condemned this decision of stopping UNRWA funding.

For his part, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki condemned the US decision on UNRWA, saying "the United States will never succeed in dismantling the UN agency or marginalize the Palestinian refugees' issue," WAFA reported.

Several officials and Palestinian factions have also denounced the US decision describing it as “political blackmail”.

Fatah movement asserted that the right of return sacred and protected by the historical right and by the international law drafted by the United Nations. Hamas movement said that "the right of return is an “inheritance that can not be written off."

This article starring:
Abu Rudeineh
GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRESSecurity Council
MAHMUD ABASUNRWA
Nabil Abu Rudeineh
RIAD MALKIPLO
SAEB EREKATSecurity Council
Posted by 3dc 2018-09-03 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11137 views ]  Top
 File under: Palestinian Authority 

#1 It's really tough to blow shit up when you don't have money to make bombs.
Posted by Raj 2018-09-03 00:18||   2018-09-03 00:18|| Front Page Top

#2 Ah, great to see the leader of the free world, Germany, step up to waste their own money. It's fine, they're flush with cash while Uncle Sam is flat broke. It's nice stepping back from these endless international commitments.
Posted by Herb McCoy 2018-09-03 05:26||   2018-09-03 05:26|| Front Page Top

#3 "Give us your money or we're complain to the teacher"?
Posted by g(r)omgoru 2018-09-03 05:35||   2018-09-03 05:35|| Front Page Top

#4 I would really enjoy the UN telling us we had to restore those funds
Posted by Frank G 2018-09-03 09:24||   2018-09-03 09:24|| Front Page Top

#5 "Mom, Dad won't gimme my allowance!"
Posted by SteveS 2018-09-03 09:28||   2018-09-03 09:28|| Front Page Top

#6 Frank, the UN cannot tell us to do that. A) We have veto power. B) Nikki Haley is the US Ambassador. She will tell the UN where they can stick their ruling.
Posted by Rambler in Virginia  2018-09-03 10:17||   2018-09-03 10:17|| Front Page Top

#7 /rhetorical, Rambler
Posted by Frank G 2018-09-03 10:21||   2018-09-03 10:21|| Front Page Top

#8 It's fine, they're flush with cash

Given all that Germany is spending to support the replacement population, and then to guard against the criminals and jihadis within that population, not to mention the Palestinians, etc, I find it hard to believe they are anything like as flush as they used to be.
Posted by trailing wife 2018-09-03 10:30||   2018-09-03 10:30|| Front Page Top

#9 ...well, they're not spending it on defense. How many combat aircraft and naval vehicles can they roll out tonight?
Posted by Procopius2k 2018-09-03 10:51||   2018-09-03 10:51|| Front Page Top

#10 @9 - Germans should start with rifles
Posted by mossomo 2018-09-03 15:02||   2018-09-03 15:02|| Front Page Top

#11 Fine. The day the General Assembly or the Security Council announces hearings, I want Nikki Haley to stand up and announce that the people calling themselves "Palestinians" have made themselves enemies of the United States, and shall be "obliterated from the face of the earth". Follow it up with about two weeks of 12-aircraft ARCLIGHT strikes on the Gaza Strip, one every hour, and the first one a total surprise. Anything with the name "UNRWA" or plain "UN" will receive special attention. And we'll have satellites dedicated to recording secondaries.

After that, maybe we can look for and root out other crap wearing the UN label.
Posted by Old Patriot 2018-09-03 22:41||   2018-09-03 22:41|| Front Page Top

13:00 swksvolFF
12:59 Regular joe
12:55 Skidmark
12:53 Skidmark
12:52 Abu Uluque
12:50 Abu Uluque
12:49 Skidmark
12:48 NN2N1
12:46 Skidmark
12:44 Bobby
12:43 Abu Uluque
12:41 Bobby
12:38 Skidmark
12:31 swksvolFF
12:30 Skidmark
12:22 Abu Uluque
12:19 Abu Uluque
12:17 Abu Uluque
12:17 Skidmark
12:15 Abu Uluque
12:11 Skidmark
12:01 Crusader
11:55 Grom the Affective
11:52 Crusader









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com