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 conflict in Gaza.
In a assertion on Friday, Canadian Minister of Worldwide Growth Ahmed Hussen mentioned the federal government is “resuming its funding to UNRWA so extra may be performed to answer the pressing wants of Palestinian civilians”.
Canada had joined the US and a number of 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 collaborating in a Hamas assault on October 7.
UNRWA instantly sacked the staff 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 quick concern and calls from rights advocates to rethink.
UNRWA is also the important thing company offering important 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 selections.
Since then, the scenario within the Strip has deteriorated additional, as Israeli army assaults proceed. A few dozen Palestinian youngsters have died in latest weeks on account of a scarcity of meals and water in Gaza, in keeping with 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 careworn that the cash mustn’t have been reduce to start with.
“Resuming help to UNRWA is a much-needed choice, and it could not have been attainable with out the necessary advocacy from throughout civil society,” mentioned 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 thousands and thousands of individuals in danger,” Woodley mentioned in a press release.
“Canada should considerably enhance funding to UNRWA to compensate for the hurt its actions have precipitated to the folks of Gaza.”
The pinnacle of the Nationwide Council of Canadian Muslims additionally famous that “there aren’t any different businesses that may replicate UNRWA’s central function within the humanitarian response in Gaza”.
“Whereas funding mustn’t have been paused within the first place, the federal government made the correct choice at the moment by renewing and growing funding,” the group’s CEO, Stephen Brown, mentioned in a press release.
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 Social gathering additionally had urged him to withhold the funds.
Professional-Israel Liberal legislators Anthony Housefather and Marco Mendicino mentioned in a letter on Thursday that that they had beneficial “that Canada work in lockstep with the US and different allies”.
They urged the federal government “to leverage alternate companions and to create new automobiles of humanitarian help that can meaningfully attain the civilians of Gaza within the quick time period”.
However consultants and humanitarian teams have mentioned UNRWA is finest suited to offer much-needed help to Palestinians in Gaza.
In a information convention on Friday afternoon, Hussen mentioned 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 important function that UNRWA performs in offering much-needed help to over two million Palestinians in Gaza, in addition to … thousands and thousands extra within the broader area”, Hussen instructed reporters.
Palestinians in Gaza are being starved amidst catastrophic circumstances. The necessity for life-saving help has by no means been extra pressing.
At present’s announcement by Canada 🇨🇦 on the resumption of funding to United Nations Reduction and Works Company (UNRWA) will save lives.
There aren’t any different… pic.twitter.com/lYQalSibi1
— NCCM (@nccm) March 8, 2024