The United States, thanks to an agreement between congressional leaders and the White House, is very close to banning funding to UNRWA, the leading U.N. agency for aid for the Palestinians, until March 2025.
According to a report from the agency Reuters, two sources said that the White House and top members of Congress agreed on a bill that funds the military, the State Department, and a series of other government programs and will maintain the ban on U.S. funding for UNRWA.
“The two sources familiar with the agreement said the funding would be blocked for a year, and that details of alternative efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza would be discussed after the legislation is made public,” Reuters reads.
The agreement comes two months after the Biden administration temporarily paused new funding for UNRWA after Israel accused a dozen of the agency’s employees in Gaza of participating in the deadly October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
Likewise, the U.S. Senate passed legislation in February that cuts funding to UNRWA as part of a $95 billion bill that stalled in the House of Representatives.
This legislature approved the sending of aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The ban on sending funds is a significant blow to UNRWA, as the United States is the U.N. agency’s largest donor, contributing between $300 and $400 million a year.
Following Israeli accusations that agency employees participated in the October 7 attacks, the U.N. launched an investigation into the case, and the agency fired several employees after Israel provided information.
Meanwhile, the United States awaits the results of that investigation and corrective actions taken before considering resuming funding for the agency.
