The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), facing severe funding cuts and accusations by Israel of dubious ties to Hamas, is at the center of a heated debate. The agency's chief described the idea of dismantling UNRWA as "short-sighted" and warned it would "sow the seeds of hatred, resentment, and future conflict." Israeli forces have fired at Palestinians in Gaza City seeking aid and detained others in southern Gaza. Opinions on UNRWA's effectiveness are divided; some call for its immediate disbandment, citing the agency's 75-year history of allegedly failing the people it's supposed to help by inciting and protecting terrorists. Others defend it as a crucial lifeline for Palestinians, especially in the context of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and its implications for the Middle East's future. The debate also touches on broader geopolitical shifts, with the United States' influence in the region waning and China and Russia not yet established as Middle Eastern powers. The situation in Rafah, Gaza, highlighted by the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, underscores the dire consequences of a potential "total collapse of the lifeline" to Gaza's civilian population.
Defenders of UNRWA say it's a lifeline for Palestinians, but for many Israelis, the agency is a bogeyman that, critics say, represents and encourages Palestinian rejection of Israel. Read more about the debate in this article below. https://t.co/toAGkpvMjo
The calls to dismantle UNRWA after its employees allegedly took part in the October 7 attack don't reference its bigger failure – Israel's dependence on the aid agency to sustain decades of occupation and settlements | Opinion | @arnondeg @iDembin https://t.co/GRkSBQ4n4i
'UNRWA will soon run out of money and there will be a total collapse of the lifeline to Gaza's civilian population'. Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council @NRC_Egeland talks about the importance of UNRWA in delivering aid to Gaza. https://t.co/5nFiwdXsA4 📺Sky 501 https://t.co/IwWbLHQ5cx
"You're among people in utter desperation, in destruction beyond belief..." Sec General of the Norwegian Refugee Council @NRC_Egeland tells @SkyYaldaHakim about his experience in Rafah, Gaza. https://t.co/4iUo4Yk1KL 📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube https://t.co/JNc5awp9LU
“The United States’ influence is undeniably on the wane, but China and Russia are not yet Middle Eastern powers.” Read @glcarlstrom on what the war in Gaza has revealed about the changing balance of power in the Middle East: https://t.co/CU53GV951T
📢 Coming up on The World with @SkyYaldaHakim... 🔴 Film director @farah_nabulsi 🔴 Sec General of the Norwegian Refugee Council @NRC_Egeland 🔴 Former UK Ambassador to the US Lord Darroch 🔴 Former government adviser Nimco Ali ⏰ 9pm 📱 https://t.co/4iUo4Yk1KL 📺 Sky 501
“UNRWA has failed the people it's supposed to help. It's incited and protected terrorists…It's clear the agency will never play a role in ending Palestinian suffering—and even clearer that it needs to go.” -@AvivaKlompas https://t.co/9oWCpiqxqh
"UNRWA has failed the people it's supposed to help. It's incited and protected terrorists...After 75 years, it's clear the agency will never play a role in ending Palestinian suffering - and even clearer that it needs to go." My latest in @Newsweek 📰➡️🔗 https://t.co/XpBXbx0JoD
"There are countless unknowns & intangibles around what the Mid East will look like once the Israel-Hamas war ends. But there is one very tangible outcome that will define success after this tragic war is over: @UNRWA must be abolished." ~ @AvivaKlompas https://t.co/odyQynz5Kk
My latest in @Newsweek: "There are countless unknowns and intangibles around what the Middle East will look like once the Israel-Hamas war ends: Who will control security and the civil administration in Gaza? Will borders be adjusted for Israeli security? What role will moderate… https://t.co/GkIVhV3VUe
UNRWA, the United Nations Palestinian refugee relief agency, has faced severe funding cuts after Israel dubiously accused the organization of ties to Hamas. We spoke with a director of UNRWA in Jordan about the impact of the cuts. https://t.co/rkCcvqWQFq
Disband @UNRWA immediately. https://t.co/j1xtrCXm83
UNRWA’s chief says dismantling the agency is “short-sighted” and will “sow the seeds of hatred, resentment, and future conflict.” Israeli forces fire at Palestinians seeking aid and food in Gaza City and detain others in southern Gaza. https://t.co/iDyWSisCVj