Israel

Australia Resumes Funding For UNRWA

MAR 15 2024·Updated MAR 16 2024

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The Facts

Australia announced on Friday that it will resume funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and provide additional support to Gaza.
ABC News
The move comes after several countries paused funding for the agency in late January after Israel accused a dozen of its employees of playing a role in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
ABC Network
The UNRWA has reportedly lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support while the allegations are investigated. Though Israel didn't provide definitive proof, several UNRWA staff members were fired following the accusations.
ap
While Australia joins Sweden, the EU, and Canada in reinstating funding to the UNRWA, the US continues to withhold its payments, stating that the agency must "plan for the fact that Congress may make that pause permanent."
guardian
Along with restoring $6M in frozen funding, Australia has promised to provide $2.6M to UNICEF and deploy a C-17 Globemaster plane to assist with the airdropping of humanitarian supplies in Gaza.
Al Jazeera
The January freeze reportedly cut UNRWA's funds by nearly $450M. The agency employs about 13K people in Gaza and provides locals with food, water, and shelter assistance.
Al Jazeera

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The Spin

Pro-Palestine narrative

Israel has, to date, failed to provide evidence of any UNWRA employees' involvement in the Oct. 7 attack. The agency provides humanitarian aid to millions in Gaza; it's not a terrorist organization. As famine is imminent in the Gaza Strip, it's essential that funding is resumed by everyone, including the US, so that collective punishment against Palestinians is stopped.

ABC Network

Pro-Israel narrative

The UNRWA has been complicit in Hamas' atrocious actions in Gaza, which is why resuming funding to the agency risks Australian taxpayer funds being used to support a terrorist organization. Funding shouldn't be restored until the investigation is completed, the UNRWA gets a clean chit, and its larger purpose is comprehensively reviewed.

Australian Financial Review