Palestinians protest U.S. decision to cut funding to UNRWA
Dozens of Palestinian refugees in the blockaded Gaza Strip on Monday staged a protest against a recent U.S. decision to cut all funding for UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.
Organized by a popular committee affiliated with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the protest was held outside the UNRWA’s Gaza City office where protesters waved banners calling on the UN to support the cash-strapped refugee agency.
“We affirm our categorical rejection of the so-called ‘deal of the century’, which [U.S. President Donald] Trump sanctified with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” popular committee spokesman Zeyad al-Sarfandi said at Monday’s protest.
“We also call on the international community to redouble its efforts to help UNRWA by providing it with a fixed budget so it can continue providing Palestinian refugees with vital services,” al-Sarfandi said.
On August 31, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington would “no longer commit funding” to the UNRWA.
The U.S. had been UNRWA's largest contributor by far, providing it with $350 million annually -- roughly a quarter of the agency's overall budget.
Established in 1949, UNRWA provides critical aid to Palestinian refugees in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Palestinian hospital officials on Monday decried a U.S. decision to cut funding for hospitals in the occupied East Jerusalem, warning the move will have “catastrophic” consequences on the health sector.The decision will have “a major negative impact on the clash flows to these hospitals and will lead to delays in the provision of vital medical services,” Basem Abu-Lebda, head of Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem, told a press conference held at Augusta Victoria hospital in the city.“In a nutshell, this decision will negatively impact the lives of five million Palestinians,” he said.The U.S. administration has decided to cut nearly $25 million in aid to hospitals in Israel-occupied city that mainly serve Palestinian patients.US to close PLO’s Washington office: Saeb ErekatThe cut could cause harm to at least five hospitals in East Jerusalem, including Augusta Victoria hospital and the St. John Eye Hospital, which is the main provider of eye treatments for Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.Abu-Lebda appealed to the Palestinian Authority, the U.S. Congress and the international community to take responsibility and spare no efforts to deal with the consequences caused by the U.S. aid cut.Notably East Jerusalem hospitals provide medical services to Palestinians not only in East Jerusalem but also those in the West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip.Last week, Washington ended all of its funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA.Palestinians say undeterred by US move to 'protect Israeli crimes'The U.S. was -- by far -- UNRWA's largest contributor, providing it with $350 million annually -- roughly one quarter of the agency's overall budget. Palestinians have rejected any U.S. mediation since U.S. President Donald Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.
US aid cut to East Jerusalem hospitals ‘catastrophic'
Palestinian authorities will not be deterred from seeking International Criminal Court action against Israel, an official said on Monday, despite the Trump administration's plan to shut their de facto embassy in Washington in response.Senior official Saeb Erekat said his office had been informed that the United States would close the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) mission, a move he described as designed "to protect Israeli crimes"."We reiterate that the rights of the Palestinian people are not for sale, that we will not succumb to U.S. threats and bullying," Erekat said in a statement. "Accordingly, we continue to call upon the International Criminal Court to open its immediate investigation into Israeli crimes." Israel warplane strikes NE GazaGazan youth dies of injuries sustained near buffer zone'Turkey cares about Palestine's economy'
Palestinians say undeterred by US move to 'protect Israeli crimes'
Israeli armed forces opened fire and killed a Palestinian who allegedly tried to harm fences at the Gaza Strip-Israel barrier, according to a written statement by the Israeli military on Sunday.Palestinian medical teams had stepped in to help the injured person, however, the Palestinian succumbed to his/her wounds, the statement added.Palestinians have been protesting along Gaza Strip-Israel barrier against the decades-long Israeli occupation and an 11-year blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its more than million inhabitants of many basic commodities.More than 170 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army troops since the protests began in late March.Egypt sentences 75 more to death in compliance with US, Israeli instructionsIsraeli police arrest 2 Palestinian girls in Jerusalem140 artists boycott 2019 Eurovision contest in IsraelIsrael seeks alternative to UNRWA in GazaGaza hospitals to stop services over fuel crisisIsrael arrests four Palestinians near Gaza border
Israeli armed forces kill Palestinian in Gaza