Ireland announced on Wednesday that it would provide 5 million Euros to UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees”.
“Ireland is a longstanding supporter of UNRWA. Its work is essential to the delivery of healthcare, education and humanitarian relief and social services, including food assistance, to 5.4 million Palestine refugees. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East region has meant an increased demand for UNRWA’s services. I have seen these needs first hand during my regular visits to the region, as well as the significant operational challenges faced by UNRWA,” said Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney in a statement.
“Ireland responded by significantly increasing our funding to UNRWA last year through additional contributions. Today’s announcement of €5 million in core funding for UNRWA reflects Ireland’s abiding commitment to the vital work of UNRWA,” he added.
“The services that UNRWA provides are necessary, and will remain necessary, until a lasting solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict can be negotiated that meets the needs of both parties and resolves all final status issues,” said Coveney.
The Irish announcement comes a day after more than $110 million was raised for UNRWA at a pledging conference to support the agency.
The US, which was previously UNRWA's largest contributor, last year cut a full $300 million in funding to the agency.
Following the US cut, several European Union (EU) and Arab countries promised to contribute approximately $50 million each, while the EU itself promised to give $23 million.
Created in 1949, UNRWA supplies aid to more than three million of the five million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and territories assigned to the Palestinian Authority.
However, it is also notorious for its anti-Israel activities. During the 2014 counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge, Hamas rockets were discovered inside a school building run by UNRWA.
Likewise, a booby-trapped UNRWA clinic was detonated, killing three IDF soldiers. Aside from the massive amounts of explosives hidden in the walls of the clinic, it was revealed that it stood on top of dozens of terror tunnels, showing how UNRWA is closely embedded with Hamas.
In a more recent incident, the director of UNRWA operations in Gaza expressed his support for the anti-Israel marches along the Israel-Gaza border and pledged that the organization’s medical centers will provide care for “Palestinian refugees” who might sustain injuries during them.