Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Rami Hamdallah met on Thursday with Pierre Krähenbühl, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees”.
Hamdallah wrote on Twitter that the two discussed the latest developments regarding UNRWA and the mobilizing of financial support to help the agency overcome its current financial crisis to ensure the continuation of services to “Palestine refugees.”
“The rights of the Palestinian refugees must not be violated. UNRWA was established with the will of the international community to relief Palestinian refugees until a just and comprehensive solution to their issue is found in accordance with international legitimacy,” he added.
The PA leadership, headed by chairman Mahmoud Abbas and the PA government, “reject all US administration steps targeting the Palestinian refugees, especially the cut-off of financial support and illegal moves to determine the numbers of refugees,” wrote Hamdallah.
The State Department announced two weeks ago that the United States would be ending its funding to UNRWA.
The announcement came several months after Washington decided to cut some of its funding to UNRWA, citing a need to undertake a fundamental re-examination of the organization, both in the way it operates and the way it is funded.
The administration’s move was met with anger in the Arab world. Jordan’s foreign minister warned the decision would only fuel radicalism and harm prospects for Middle East peace.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) called on parliaments around the world to oppose the US decision and fight it through the UN General Assembly and Security Council.