Montreal, Canada – Canada has introduced it’s lifting a freeze on funding for the United Nations company for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), after going through fierce criticism for slicing help throughout Israel’s conflict 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 accomplished to reply to the pressing wants of Palestinian civilians”.
Canada had joined the USA and several other different nations in slicing 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 collaborating 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 “surprising” and “severe”. 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 fast concern and calls from rights advocates to rethink.
UNRWA is also the important thing company offering vital 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 slicing 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 kids have died in current weeks on account of an absence of meals and water in Gaza, in line with well being authorities within the coastal enclave.
‘Reckless political determination’
On Friday afternoon, Canadian human rights advocates welcomed the federal government’s determination to elevate the freeze on UNRWA funding however careworn that the cash shouldn’t have been minimize to start with.
“Resuming help to UNRWA is a much-needed determination, and it will not have been potential with out the essential 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 determination 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 thousands and thousands of individuals in danger,” Woodley stated in an announcement.
“Canada should considerably enhance funding to UNRWA to compensate for the hurt its actions have induced to the folks of Gaza.”
The federal government contributed $66.5m ($90m Canadian) to UNRWA from 2019 although mid-2023. Final June, Ottawa additionally introduced that it will present as a lot as $74m ($100m Canadian) to the company over 4 years to assist fund schooling, well being care and different providers.
Canadian media shops have reported that the following installment of that funding — about $18m ($25m Canadian) — is due in April.
In the meantime, the top of the Nationwide Council of Canadian Muslims additionally famous on Friday that “there are not any different businesses that may replicate UNRWA’s central function within the humanitarian response in Gaza”.
“Whereas funding shouldn’t have been paused within the first place, the federal government made the proper determination right now by renewing and growing funding,” the group’s CEO, Stephen Brown, stated in an announcement.
Stress on Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s authorities had confronted strain from pro-Israel foyer teams to take care of its freeze on funding for UNRWA. Members of Trudeau’s personal Liberal Celebration additionally had urged him to withhold the funds.
Professional-Israel Liberal legislators Anthony Housefather and Marco Mendicino said 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 may meaningfully attain the civilians of Gaza within the quick time period”.
However specialists and humanitarian teams have stated UNRWA is greatest suited to supply 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 severe processes that the United Nations has undertaken to handle the problems in UNRWA”.
It additionally is available in recognition of “the vital function that UNRWA performs in offering much-needed assist to over two million Palestinians in Gaza, in addition to … thousands and thousands extra within the broader area”, Hussen informed reporters.
Palestinians in Gaza are being starved amidst catastrophic situations. The necessity for life-saving help has by no means been extra pressing.
Right this moment’s announcement by Canada 🇨🇦 on the resumption of funding to United Nations Reduction and Works Company (UNRWA) will save lives.
There are not any different… pic.twitter.com/lYQalSibi1
— NCCM (@nccm) March 8, 2024
