Government recommits to funding UNRWA as David Lammy praises ‘life-saving work’

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David Lammy announced that the government will reverse the decision to stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA).

The leader of another country stated that Israel is surrounded by challenging circumstances and the people in Gaza are stuck in a terrible situation. He made a promise to work towards bringing peace to the area.

In January 2024, the Foreign Office decided to stop providing any more money to UNRWA because there were accusations that employees from the aid organization were connected to the Hamas attack on October 7th, which sparked the recent violence in the Middle East.

Over the past nine months, Israel has caused the death of over 38,600 individuals in the area as reported by the Gazan health ministry.

The conflict has caused a humanitarian disaster in the coastal area of Palestine, forcing the majority of its 2.3 million residents to flee and leading to a severe food shortage.

UNRWA, the sole United Nations organization focused on assisting refugees from a particular area or conflict, was accused of having 12 of their employees implicated in the October 7 assault on Southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 individuals.

Catherine Colonna, who used to be in charge of foreign affairs in France, headed up a team that examined if UNRWA was truly staying impartial in its actions.

The assessment discovered that UNRWA has implemented "many methods and protocols to guarantee adherence to the Humanitarian Principle of neutrality", stating that "they likely have a more advanced system compared to other UN bodies and entities".

The report also mentioned that there is still space for enhancement and concerns about neutrality continue to exist.

Last Friday, Mr. Lammy informed members of Parliament that the government would reinvest the UK's funding in the aid organization.

He said to the Parliament: "Providing humanitarian assistance is a moral obligation when faced with such a disaster, and it is aid organizations that guarantee UK assistance reaches the people in need. UNRWA plays a crucial role in these activities."

No other organization can provide assistance on the same level that is required. It is currently providing food for more than half of the population in Gaza. It will play a crucial role in the rebuilding process and is essential for providing important services to Palestinian refugees in the area.

I was shocked by the accusations against UNRWA workers in the October 7th attacks. However, the UN treated these accusations with gravity. I have talked to UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and Commissioner, Philippe Lazzarini, about it.

“We are pleased to report that following Catherine Colonna’s objective evaluation, UNRWA is making sure to uphold the most rigorous levels of impartiality and enhance its processes, such as ensuring unrestricted access.”

UNRWA has taken action, as well as partners such as Japan, the European Union, and Norway. This government will also take action.

I want to let everyone know that we are reversing the decision to stop funding UNRWA.

Britain will allocate 21 million in additional funds, with a focus on aiding the management changes suggested by the Colonna review. UNRWA is assisting over five and a half million Palestinians, with close to 200 of their employees losing their lives in the ongoing conflict.

I am grateful for the important and life-saving work they do.

An MP from the Labour party in the House of Commons mentioned that it was surprising that none of the independent MPs elected on pro-Gaza platforms had attended the speech.

Josh Fenton-Glynn, the Labour MP for Calder Valley, expressed surprise that none of the independent candidates who were elected based on their stance on Gaza were present in the House of Commons during the statement.

The British Jewish Board of Deputies stated that the restoration of funding should be accompanied by "much greater supervision of UNRWA's operations".

The group stated that UNRWA and UNHCR should be combined because having two separate organizations for refugees is not necessary. They believe that ultimately, the two should be merged together.

The International Centre for Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) stated that while the funding restoration is a positive step, it is still not adequate by itself.

Dania Abul Haj, a senior legal officer at ICJP, expressed concern about the impact of UNRWA's inability to deliver aid effectively, leading to the death of many Palestinians. She emphasized the importance of the UK fulfilling its duty to compensate for the lack of support in recent months.

Some members of the Labour party's lower house criticized the leaders for taking too long to ask for a ceasefire in Gaza. Mr. Lammy stated his commitment to promoting peace.

He stated: "There are individuals in this establishment who, similar to myself, speak for voters who believe the global community misunderstands Israel's situation. I want to remind them that Israel is situated in a challenging environment, facing threats from those seeking its destruction."

There is no comparison between Israel's democratic government and Hamas, a terrorist group that committed a brutal attack on October 7 in an attempt to harm many Israelis and incite more violence with Palestinians.

I completely agree with the UK's decision to protect Israel during Iran's attack and I strongly denounce the recent Houthi attack on Tel Aviv.

Some of us, like myself, speak for people who believe that the world doesn't fully grasp the extent of the suffering of Palestinians. I want to tell them that the people in Gaza are living in a terrible situation.

The Palestinian people have been stuck in a difficult situation for many years, being deprived of their rightful state.

As the person in charge of handling international affairs for our country, I see and understand both of these points of view. I acknowledge the suffering and distress experienced by everyone involved. It only reinforces my commitment to doing everything within my power in this position to promote peace.

Former chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Alicia Kearns, questioned the foreign secretary about the delivery of aid to Gaza.

She asked if he had received any guarantees during his meetings to improve the amount of trucks entering Gaza, as the current number of 70 a day is insufficient.

"In the government, we made every effort to encourage Israel to allow more humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza. We pushed for the opening of additional crossings, including through Rafah. We tripled our own aid pledge in the previous fiscal year, working tirelessly to deliver aid by any means necessary - whether by land, sea, or air."

Mr. Lammy responded by saying that only having seventy trucks delivering aid per day, when the number should be 500, is inadequate. He pointed out that everyone in the House was aware of the promise to "flood" Gaza with aid back in April. Lammy emphasized that only having 70 trucks was far from sufficient.