A strange feeling runs through the headquarters of the United Nations (UN) in New York, from what is heard in the speeches,
It seems that the United States suffered a rash attack by announcing the pause in its financial contribution to the agency that manages humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, UNRWA.
It made that decision almost immediately, seconded like dominoes by a string of Western countries, upon learning from an Israeli report that a dozen of its employees, out of 32,000, had collaborated with Hamas in the attack on Israel on December 7. October. Washington seems to be looking for a way to back down without giving the impression that he made a mistake out of overzealousness.
A large group of organizations linked to the UN warned of “the catastrophic consequences for the residents of Gaza” if donors do not lift this pause.
The heads of the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the International Organization for Immigration, Unicef ??and other institutions insisted on condemning the accusations in a joint statement. But they clarified that “we should not prevent an entire organization from fulfilling its mandate to serve people who desperately need it.”
At stake is more than half of the more than one billion euros of its annual budget, already in deficit. “UNRWA is the backbone of the entire humanitarian response in Gaza,” said UN Secretary General António Guterres this Wednesday, who immediately opened an investigation and remains dismayed by the alleged crimes and also by the financial boycott.
He insisted that UNRWA’s work “is vital to addressing the direct needs of civilians in Gaza and continuing services to Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.” And he reiterated: “I appeal to member states to guarantee the continuity of this work to save lives. “The humanitarian system in Gaza is collapsing and I am extremely concerned about the inhumane conditions faced by 2.2 million people.”
Guterres conveyed that urgency to the 35 donors with whom he met on Tuesday. Lifting the pause is to the benefit of the Palestinians, but also the rest of the world, because, without a humanitarian agency, the chaos will aggravate the situation.
The American ambassador, Linda Thomas Greenfield, gave the impression this Wednesday, in a session of the Security Council, that she is trying to find a way to rebuild bridges, in view of the disaster that will be caused in the strip if, as everything indicates, There are funds left to cover only the needs for February.
“There is no doubt that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is terrible,” he remarked as soon as he began his speech.
“The credible allegations against twelve employees have undermined trust in UNRWA,” he said. “The seriousness with which the secretary general has approached the crisis, firing those involved, is a crucial step. And we know that he is committed to pursuing greater accountability, including a swift and credible investigation.”
He maintained that “we know that the agency contributes to regional stability,” whose services are vital. “Let me be clear, the United States’ decision was independent of other donors,” he said. “It is not a punitive measure, but a wake-up call. We need to see fundamental changes in UNRWA to prevent this situation from being repeated,” he reiterated.
There was unanimity among members of the Security Council regarding the crucial role of this agency. Only the representative of Israel, invited for the occasion, congratulated himself on the freezing of funds.
