近东救济工程处确认错误

The report discusses the recent decision by US President Donald Trump to reduce funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has sparked controversy over the alignment of US and Israeli strategies in managing the Palestinian conflict. The UNRWA was established with the mandate of assistance rather than providing legal protection, as later provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The agency was created in December 1949 by the United Nations General Assembly as a subsidiary body to assist Palestinian refugees, with the main financial support coming from voluntary contributions from member states.

Historically, the UNRWA has faced financial challenges, difficulties implementing its mandate, and adaptation of its objectives during the 70 years of conflict. It aimed to be a tool for economic development in the Middle East and a mechanism for the reintegration of thousands of Palestinian refugees into other parts of the region through job opportunities. However, lack of funding and emergency situations have limited the agency's action to addressing humanitarian emergencies and continuing the programs of relief, health, and education initiated by early humanitarian agencies.

The UNRWA has carried out assistance and development programs for Palestinian refugees in five areas of operation: Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. In the 1960s, it launched a series of programs to replace tents with stable cement structures in refugee camps. In the 1970s, it implemented a comprehensive system to meet the basic needs of refugees, making education the cornerstone of its programs. This led to numerous primary schools, vocational training centers, and medical care centers being established.

Since the 1967 occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and the instability in the Middle East, the agency has been forced not only to maintain assistance but also to confront continuous human rights violations by the Israeli army and humanitarian crises caused by regional conflicts. In the 1980s, the crisis led to the cessation of general economic assistance, limiting it to cases with greater needs. During the first Intifada in the late 1980s, the agency was forced to develop mechanisms for protecting human rights and denouncing the Israeli army's brutality against the Palestinian civilian population.

With the peace process, there was a debate about the future of the UNRWA, between those who believed the agency should play a significant role in any agreement on the right of return due to its experience, flexibility, and response capacity, suggesting expanding its mandate, and those who sought to reduce its role or eliminate it within the Palestinian National Authority. Israeli governments have had a mixed view towards the agency, seeing it as responsible for perpetuating the refugee issue while also acknowledging its role in maintaining a significant portion of the population under occupation.

In May 2017, Benjamin Netanyahu's request to the United Nations to reconsider the existence of the UNRWA went beyond traditional disagreements about its functioning, as its disappearance would pose a new risk to the already deteriorated Palestinian economy and survival, especially in Gaza. With the cut in funding, Trump is following Tel Aviv's dictates and appears willing to jeopardize the UNRWA's viability, potentially leading to its dissolution. This poses a serious threat to the right of return for Palestinian refugees and its importance on the agenda of peace talks. The UNRWA remains the main symbol of the international community's commitment to the right of return for Palestinians.

A reduced or unviable UNRWA would not only affect Palestine but also its neighbors. Palestinian refugees have not been recognized in the same manner by host countries. While Jordan and Syria guarantee conditions close to citizenship rights, Lebanon treats them as stateless foreigners without property rights, investment, or employment. The region's instability makes humanitarian assistance and protection for Palestinian refugees more necessary than ever. The UNRWA plays a fundamental role in non-violent conflict transformation in the Middle East. Its threat to its viability is also a threat to losing an important tool for the international community in building peace and protecting human rights in the region.