UN agency for Palestinian refugees rejects US call to dismantle it
The head of the United Nations organisation for Palestinian refugees has rejected a US call to dismantle the agency, saying it cannot be blamed for stalled peace efforts.
Pierre Krahenbuhl, the commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), on Thursday rebuffed the criticism from US envoy Jason Greenblatt during a visit to the besieged Gaza Strip.
"I unreservedly reject the accompanying narrative that suggests that somehow UNRWA is to blame for the continuation of the refugee-hood of Palestine refugees, of their growing numbers and their growing needs," he said in response to a question about Greenblatt's comments.
"The fact that UNRWA still exists today is an illustration of the failure of the parties and the international community to resolve the issue politically - and one cannot deflect the attention onto a humanitarian organisation," he told a news conference in Gaza City.
The United States last year cut off its roughly $300m annual donation to UNRWA, and Trump administration officials now argue the agency has run its course.
Speaking to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Greenblatt said the "UNRWA model has failed the Palestinian people".
He said it was time to hand over services assured by the UN agency to countries hosting Palestinian refugees and NGOs.
Greenblatt said the US had given $6bn in aid to UNRWA since it was founded in 1949 "and yet year after year UNRWA funding fell short".
"We need to be honest about the situation. UNRWA is a bandaid and the Palestinians who use its services deserve better," said Greenblatt.
'Deal of the century'
More than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or forced to flee their lands in the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel and they and their descendants make up the millions of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.
UNRWA provides education, health and other key services for the refugees with funding from international donors.
The US and Israel say the agency perpetuates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in particular by classifying refugees' descendants as refugees too.
UNRWA argues it is simply providing services until a political solution is found.
The US is due to hold an economic conference in Bahrain on 25-26 June as the first part of the administration's long-delayed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, dubbed the "deal of the century".
The Palestinians have already said they will not attend, accusing the US of seeking to eliminate their cause.
UNRWA is hosting a conference on 25 June at which international donors are expected to pledge financial support, the AFP news agency reported.
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