EU Vows to Keep Backing UNRWA after Trump Scraps US Financial Aid

• 09.02.2018, 12:11
•  Europe,  Near East,  World

Common Dreams

The 28-nation European Union, the biggest collective contributor to UNWRA, said on Saturday it will continue its support after the Trump administration's decision to cut its funding to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, middleeasteye.net reports.

This implied the EU may increase funding to the agency if deemed necessary, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Deutsche Welle said Germany plans to significantly increase its funding for UNRWA, citing a letter from Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to other EU foreign ministers.

The EU said in a statement it will discuss with its international partners "how to ensure sustainable, continued and effective assistance to the Palestinians, including through UNRWA," in the run-up to the UN General Assembly later this month. 

The statement stressed the importance of continued international support for UNWRA, which runs schools for hundreds of Palestinian children across the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

"The EU will continue to engage with the US and its other regional and international partners to work towards that common goal."

It also urged the US to reconsider the decision to halt funding for the United Nations relief and works agency for Palestinian refugees.