Proposed cut on US funding for UNRWA causes concern

Washington DC: A US security bill that would cut financing to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees is raising concerns, according to rights campaigners, as a years-long campaign to abolish the agency gains traction amid Israel's war on Gaza.

The proposed $118 billion legislation, a draft of which (PDF) was blocked in the US Senate on Wednesday, includes a provision that prevents Washington from providing any funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Advocacy director at the Middle East Democracy Center Seth Binder said this would apply to humanitarian assistance included in the bill as well as any previously approved money for UNRWA that has not yet been allocated, an amount of approximately $300,000.

“It’s unclear … where and how this specific provision may become law, if it ever is able to,” Binder said. “But it is concerning nonetheless just given recent developments.”

UNRWA came under greater scrutiny last month when the Israeli government accused approximately a dozen of the agency's more than 13,000 Gaza employees of taking part in Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,139 people, Al Jazeera reported.

UNRWA immediately fired the employees in issue and said that it would launch an investigation into the allegations, which it termed as "shocking" and "serious." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also created an independent team for further investigation.

Israel has yet to offer evidence to back up its claims, but the United States and several other nations have rapidly cut financing for the organisation as a result. UNRWA depends on government contributions to fund its operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Against this backdrop, the Senate bill, which received President Joe Biden's support, demonstrated rising bipartisan acceptance of formerly Republican-driven efforts to curtail UNRWA, according to Ethan Mayer-Rich of the Arab Center in Washington, DC.

“We’re seeing a pretty quick departure from what used to be a split down party lines,” he told Al Jazeera. “It’s reckless, and ultimately I think history is going to see [the US] as being completely complicit in what is unquestionably an incredibly tragic and dire situation.”

Mayer-Rich, the centre’s liaison for US government affairs, added that “the conversation in part is guided by the Biden administration”.

“We’ve seen, at this point, an endorsement by the highest level of office that it’s OK for Democrats to call into question UNRWA’s mandate, to call into question the necessity of its mission, which has long been a Republican-guided effort,” he said.

“This is a message that will have a durable impact on the way that Democrats are talking about UNRWA and the necessary services it provides.”

‘A huge hole’

Indeed, recent US efforts to defund UNRWA occur at a critical time.

The agency is in charge of humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza, where Israel's bombardment has killed over 27,708 Palestinians and inflicted widespread destruction since October 7.

Palestinians in the besieged enclave endure severe food, water, and medical shortages. The local hospital system is almost completely destroyed, and more than 1.7 million people have been internally displaced. Many families have sought sanctuary in UNRWA-run institutions.

Since the Biden administration announced its UNRWA funding block in late January, top UN officials—along with human rights advocates and humanitarian relief groups—have issued several petitions imploring Washington to reconsider.

The United States previously provided $422 million to UNRWA in 2023, making it the agency's highest contributor. According to Bill Deere, director of UNRWA's Washington representative office, these funds accounted for approximately 30% of the agency's contributions last year.

“If this proposal were to become law, that’s a huge hole that would have to be filled,” Deere told Al Jazeera in an email, referring to the Senate bill.

The legislation, which includes more than $14 billion in increased US security assistance to Israel, has the White House's support, but it is unlikely to reach Biden's desk and be signed into law, especially after Wednesday's Senate setback.

Top Republicans have also predicted it will be "dead on arrival" if it gets to the House of Representatives, amid calls for tighter immigration policies.