Canada is sending another $40 million in aid to organizations that are helping Palestinians in Gaza after pausing funding to the UN’s relief agency in the region.
Canada is sending another $40 million in aid to organizations that are helping Palestinians in Gaza after pausing funding to the UN’s relief agency in the region.
As a staunch critic of Hamas, and having been long dubious of UNRWA, I think having a smaller organization looking just after Palestinians as opposed to using the UNHCR was always kind of weird. Hearing overwrought pundits proclaiming how only the UNRWA can look after refugees, when the UNHCR is already running refugee services all over the world, including for Syrian refugees in Jordan seems nonsensical.
Why not just dissolve UNRWA and hand their responsibilities over to the UNHCR?
It has to do with denying Palestinians Right of Return
https://academic.oup.com/rsq/article/28/2-3/229/1584825
https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/exploding-myths-unrwa-unhcr-and-palestine-refugees
But still, what is the difference between a Syrian refugee in Jordan being served by the UNHCR and a Palestinian refugee in Jordan being served by UNRWA?
You would have to read those two reports to learn more, but unlike UNHCR, UNRWA does not have a mandate to resettle Palestine refugees and has no authority to seek lasting durable solutions for refugees.
A syrian refugee can be repatriated, a Palestinian refugee will stay a refugee