Hands off UNRWA
To the editor:
UNRWA, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, has been providing assistance to Palestinian refugees since 1949 through education (700 schools), health care (143 clinics), food assistance to more than a million people among many other programs. It is funded by almost entirely by UN member states, including, in the past, the United States.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, UNRWA has continued its role as the backbone of humanitarian assistance in Gaza. It is considered irreplaceable by many UN agencies. But in March 2024, the U.S. stopped funding for UNRWA and in October 2024, the Israel Knesset voted to ban it from Gaza. These actions were due to accusations of staff members involvement with Hamas. A full review was done internally and by an independent group and measures were taken to ensure full neutrality.
Banning UNRWA would not only add to the catastrophe in Gaza, but could jeopardize the ceasefire itself.
Our former Congressperson, Elise Stefanik, incoming U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, will soon be in a unique position to make sure that ban on UNRWA operating in Gaza is never implemented. This is not partisan position. It is a merciful humanitarian response for a suffering population that prays for the world to nurture the small light at the end of the cease-fire tunnel.
Katharine Preston
Essex