Montreal, Canada – Canada has introduced it’s lifting a freeze on funding for the United Nations company for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), after dealing with fierce criticism for reducing help throughout Israel’s struggle in Gaza.
In an announcement on Friday, Canadian Minister of Worldwide Growth Ahmed Hussen stated the federal government is “resuming its funding to UNRWA so extra might be finished to reply to the pressing wants of Palestinian civilians”.
Canada had joined the USA and several other different nations in reducing funding to UNRWA in late January, after Israel accused a couple of dozen of the company’s greater than 13,000 workers in Gaza of participating in a Hamas assault on October 7.
UNRWA instantly sacked the workers in query and introduced that it was opening a probe into the allegations, which it described as “stunning” and “critical”. UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres additionally appointed an unbiased panel to research.
Israel, nevertheless, didn’t present concrete proof to again up its allegations. Canadian broadcaster CBC Information additionally reported in early February that Canada had not seen any intelligence backing the declare earlier than it determined to chop the funding.
The choice to chop funding for UNRWA — which depends on authorities contributions to fund its operations within the occupied Palestinian territories, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon — drew rapid concern and calls from rights advocates to rethink.
UNRWA is also the important thing company offering crucial humanitarian provides to Palestinians within the Gaza Strip, the place Israel’s continued bombardment and siege have killed greater than 30,000 folks and led to widespread starvation and illness.
Humanitarian teams had warned that reducing UNRWA funding would have dire repercussions for Palestinians in Gaza and urged donor nations to reverse their choices.
Since then, the state of affairs within the Strip has deteriorated additional, as Israeli army assaults proceed. A few dozen Palestinian youngsters have died in latest weeks as a consequence of an absence of meals and water in Gaza, in response to well being authorities within the coastal enclave.
‘Reckless political choice’
On Friday afternoon, Canadian human rights advocates welcomed the federal government’s choice to elevate the freeze on UNRWA funding however burdened that the cash shouldn’t have been lower to start with.
“Resuming help to UNRWA is a much-needed choice, and it could not have been potential with out the vital advocacy from throughout civil society,” stated Thomas Woodley, president of the advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace within the Center East.
“Minister Hussen’s cancellation of funding was a reckless political choice that by no means ought to have been made. Canada’s irresponsible actions threatened to break down the help infrastructure in Gaza, placing the lives of tens of millions of individuals in danger,” Woodley stated in an announcement.
“Canada should considerably improve funding to UNRWA to compensate for the hurt its actions have brought on to the folks of Gaza.”
The top of the Nationwide Council of Canadian Muslims additionally famous that “there aren’t any different companies that may replicate UNRWA’s central position within the humanitarian response in Gaza”.
“Whereas funding shouldn’t have been paused within the first place, the federal government made the best choice in the present day by renewing and rising funding,” the group’s CEO, Stephen Brown, stated in an announcement.
Strain on Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s authorities had confronted stress from pro-Israel foyer teams to take care of its freeze on funding for UNRWA. Members of Trudeau’s personal Liberal Occasion additionally had urged him to withhold the funds.
Professional-Israel Liberal legislators Anthony Housefather and Marco Mendicino stated in a letter on Thursday that that they had beneficial “that Canada work in lockstep with the USA and different allies”.
They urged the federal government “to leverage alternate companions and to create new autos of humanitarian help that can meaningfully attain the civilians of Gaza within the brief time period”.
However specialists and humanitarian teams have stated UNRWA is finest suited to offer much-needed help to Palestinians in Gaza.
In a information convention on Friday afternoon, Hussen stated the choice to renew funding was “in recognition of the numerous and critical processes that the United Nations has undertaken to deal with the problems in UNRWA”.
It additionally is available in recognition of “the crucial position that UNRWA performs in offering much-needed assist to over two million Palestinians in Gaza, in addition to … tens of millions extra within the broader area”, Hussen instructed reporters.
Palestinians in Gaza are being starved amidst catastrophic situations. The necessity for life-saving help has by no means been extra pressing.
As we speak’s announcement by Canada 🇨🇦 on the resumption of funding to United Nations Aid and Works Company (UNRWA) will save lives.
There aren’t any different… pic.twitter.com/lYQalSibi1
— NCCM (@nccm) March 8, 2024
