The USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, Great Britain, Germany, France and Sweden are among the 14 countries that have stopped payments to UNRWA. The reason is the accusations from Israel that twelve of the organization’s UN employees participated in the attack on Israel on 7 October. All twelve have been fired. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide says the case does not change Norwegian support for UNRWA. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide is participating in Arctic Frontiers in Tromsø today. He tells news that Norway will not withdraw its support for UNRWA. Photo: Rune Stoltz Bertinussen / NTB – You have to sanction individuals who are connected to the attack and not all Palestinians, which you do by withdrawing the financial support for the organization, he says to news. – So regardless of what kind of documentation comes, won’t Norway follow suit? – No, because this will affect ordinary people in Gaza who are already experiencing a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions, says the foreign minister. He further says that the UN organization is one of the most important players in the area. They are responsible for much of the aid given to Palestinians. A Palestinian man who works for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), along a street in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank on January 30, 2024. Photo: AFP – Too much “miller’s cod liver oil” taken Eide says the Norwegian government has clearly expressed where Norway stands when it comes to the organisation. Norway supports UNWRA with NOK 300 million a year. In 2022, Norway committed to contribute NOK 1.1 billion over a period of four years. – Everyone knows the Norwegian view, which we also share with Spain and Ireland. It is important that the countries that have withdrawn their support think about the consequences of their choices, he says. He says that he has a lot of respect for the governments of the countries that have taken these decisions, but believes that the conclusion they have reached is wrong. The Foreign Minister also says that he feels that several of the countries are now doubting the decision to withdraw support. – They feel that they have taken too much “møller’s cod liver oil” by going so high on the pitch, and now some of them are trying to get out of it, he says to news. Palestinians stand in line while waiting to receive food. Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, 17 January 2024. Photo: Mohammed Salem / Reuters Stopped aid However, several of the 13 countries have already paid out the aid for 2024. But many aid organisations, including the Church’s Aid, Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council, have expressed great concern for the consequences of the financial support being cut. The World Health Organization (WHO) is asking the 13 countries to turn around and stop the financial support after the revelation. – The discussion is important, but it is a derailment of what happens every single day, every single hour, and every single minute in Gaza, says spokesperson Christian Lindmeier. UNRWA distributes food in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. They have 30,000 employees in total, most of whom are Palestinian refugees themselves. Photo: AFP 30,000 employees Norway has long been an economically important contributor to UNRWA. The aid organization was already established in 1949. It helps all the Palestinians who became refugees when Israel was established in 1948 and after the war in 1967, when Israel, among other things, occupied the West Bank. Today, more than 5.6 million Palestinians are registered by the UN as refugees. UNRWA works in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. They have 30,000 employees in total, most of whom are Palestinian refugees themselves. In Gaza there are 13,000 employees. The organization also has some international employees.
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Espen Barth Eide asks countries to stop UNRWA cuts – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
