The head of the United Nations organization for Palestinian refugees rejects a US call to dismantle the agency, saying it cannot be blamed for stalled peace efforts.
UNRWA’s commissioner general Pierre Krahenbuhl rebuffs the criticism from US envoy Jason Greenblatt during a visit to the Gaza Strip.
“I unreservedly reject the accompanying narrative that suggests that somehow UNRWA is to blame for the continuation of the refugee-hood of Palestine refugees, of their growing numbers and their growing needs,” he says in response to a question about Greenblatt’s comments.
Pierre Krähenbul, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), speaks at a press conference in Gaza City on May 23, 2019. (MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)
“The fact that UNRWA still exists today is an illustration of the failure of the parties and the international community to resolve the issue politically — and one cannot deflect the attention onto a humanitarian organization,” he says at a press conference in Gaza City.
The Trump administration last year cut off its roughly $300 million annual donation to UNRWA, and administration officials now argue the agency has run its course.
— AFP
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