Ireland on Thursday declared 20 million euros ($21.46 million) in aid to the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA), urging countries that had cut funding to reconsider and increase aid to the agency.
UNRWA, the health and education agency, faced a crisis after Israel accused 12 of its 13,000 Gaza workers of involvement in the October 7 Hamas-led attack.
Several countries, including the United States, the largest donor, have suspended funding.
Dublin donated €18 million directly to UNRWA in 2023, part of the €36 million it will give to the Palestinians.
Ireland, a long-time champion of Palestinian rights, followed Spain’s pledge of €3.5 million and Portugal’s announcement of €1 million in additional aid to UNRWA.
“I call on other donors to resume and expand their support to help UNRWA reach the millions of Palestinian refugees in need.” Reuters Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin was quoted as saying in a statement after meeting UNRWA Director-General Philip Lazzarini in Dublin.
The wave of funding withdrawals began in the United States immediately after the study was published.
Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, Japan, Austria, and Romania later joined Washington.
Meanwhile, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that France does not plan new payments to finance UNRWA in the first quarter of 2024, but will work with the United Nations and its major donors on how to announced that it would decide what action to take.
The European Union (EU) announced on Monday that it would consider whether to continue funding UNRWA in light of the allegations.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, has announced that it does not expect any further funding to the organization until the end of February.
However, Ireland and Norway expressed their continued support for UNRWA, saying it was doing important work to help Palestinians displaced and in desperate need of assistance in the Gaza Strip.
Based on opinions from agents