Norway to provide UNRWA with $26 million: Foreign Minister

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
8 Feb 2024 04:40

Defying Israeli accusations against the agency, Oslo says its support for UNRWA’s efforts is more important than ever.

Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide speaks on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, at United Nations Headquarters. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide announced on Wednesday that Oslo will provide the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) with some $26 million to assist Palestinian refugees.

More than a dozen countries, including major donors the United States, Germany, Britain and Sweden, have suspended funding to UNRWA over Israeli claims that 12 members of the agency took part in the Palestinian Resistance's Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.

"I am pleased that we are able to transfer NOK 275 million [$26 million] today to the organisation’s efforts to assist Palestinian refugees," the minister said in a statement, specifying that "the funds from Norway will go to UNRWA’s efforts to provide assistance to the 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan."

Eide stressed that "it is completely out of the question for Norway to back out of this commitment, at a time when Gaza is essentially in ruins."

He underlined that the UN agency is in "a critical financial situation," adding that "our support for UNRWA’s efforts is more important than ever" as it is "the backbone of humanitarian efforts in Gaza."

In late January, Norway’s representative office to the Palestinian Authority (PA) said it would continue to stand by UNRWA despite the Israeli accusations.

The agency -- which has received a Norwegian nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize -- has warned it will have to cease operations by the end of the month should funding be significantly pulled.

The UN has announced an audit into UNRWA's operations saying that it would determine whether the body should be suspended based on the investigation results.

No evidence from 'Israel' on UNRWA accusations: Commissioner General

UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, said during an interview for the Financial Times that "Israel" has not furnished evidence to support its accusations.

Lazzarini, addressing the allegations seriously, stated on Saturday that he could not discuss the ongoing investigation by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services.

The Financial Times, having reviewed the intelligence assessment, reported that "Israel" offered no proof for the accusations, including the claim of an UNRWA staff member kidnapping a woman.

According to The New York Times, UNRWA is due to be underfunded by a whopping $65 million by the end of February as a result of the suspension of payments.

The NYT cited UNRWA's internal accounting documents as saying that the agency receives several payments a year, and some countries had already skipped on their parts - among them Finland, who missed a payment worth $5.4 million in January.

Germany, Japan, and Sweden also won't pay their part in February for a total worth of $60 million, as per the NYT.

Tamara Alrifai, a spokesperson for UNRWA, was quoted as saying that over 30,000 workers across the Middle East next month will not receive their salaries, including 13,000 currently located in Gaza.

It is noteworthy that a statement last week from heads of organizations that form the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee warned that "withdrawing funds from UNRWA is perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences in the occupied Palestinian territory and across the region."