Israel has a history of friction with the UN Agency for the Palestinians

Israel's accusations against 12 employees of the United Nations aid agency for the Palestinians, the main aid operation in Gaza, are the latest episode in a friction that has lasted for decades between Israel and the group.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA, is one of the United Nations' oldest agencies, founded in 1949 to care for Palestinian Arabs who had fled or been forced from their homes during the war. the wars surrounding the creation of the State of Israel in the late 1940s. When a separate United Nations agency was later founded for refugees from other conflicts, UNRWA remained independent.

For Palestinians and their supporters, the group remains a critical lifeline for millions of descendants of those refugees, whose status and future were never resolved during the negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. It is one of Gaza's largest employers, with 13,000 employees, most of them Palestinians.
Many of them live in urban neighborhoods under -developed – still known as refugee camps –. in Middle Eastern cities. In Gaza, they make up the majority of the population and UNRWA plays a central role in providing them with education, social services and, during the current war, aid and shelter.
“Because their refugee situation was never resolved, they continue to be refugees,” said Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA spokesperson.
“These are some of the most vulnerable people in the Middle East,” he said. “They are in dire need of a United Nations agency that would provide them with emergency and humanitarian services. »
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World Jan 28, 2024 0 20 Add to Reading List

Israel has a history of friction with the UN Agency for the Palestinians

Israel's accusations against 12 employees of the United Nations aid agency for the Palestinians, the main aid operation in Gaza, are the latest episode in a friction that has lasted for decades between Israel and the group.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA, is one of the United Nations' oldest agencies, founded in 1949 to care for Palestinian Arabs who had fled or been forced from their homes during the war. the wars surrounding the creation of the State of Israel in the late 1940s. When a separate United Nations agency was later founded for refugees from other conflicts, UNRWA remained independent.

For Palestinians and their supporters, the group remains a critical lifeline for millions of descendants of those refugees, whose status and future were never resolved during the negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. It is one of Gaza's largest employers, with 13,000 employees, most of them Palestinians.

Many of them live in urban neighborhoods under -developed – still known as refugee camps –. in Middle Eastern cities. In Gaza, they make up the majority of the population and UNRWA plays a central role in providing them with education, social services and, during the current war, aid and shelter.

“Because their refugee situation was never resolved, they continue to be refugees,” said Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA spokesperson.

“These are some of the most vulnerable people in the Middle East,” he said. “They are in dire need of a United Nations agency that would provide them with emergency and humanitarian services. »

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