DEARBORN – Amid preparations by U.S. officials for a potentially indefinite suspension of funding to the principal U.N. agency supporting Palestinians due to Congressional opposition, the American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) welcomed a delegation from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to Dearborn. The event, which took place on March 12, featured an informal briefing and dialogue with community leaders. Two UNRWA leaders, Antonia Marie De Meo, deputy commissioner-general for operational support, and William R. (Bill) Deere, director of the agency’s Washington, DC, office, participated in the meeting.

De Meo provided an analysis of the prevailing conditions faced by the UNRWA during the ongoing crisis in Gaza. She highlighted the agency’s struggles to maintain operations due to “cuts and suspensions of funding from several supporting countries, including the U.S.” She also pointed out that the cutoff of these aids also affects the host countries of Palestinian refugees.

“These cuts threaten UNRWA operations in Gaza, the West Bank and in the countries that host refugees, such as Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan,” she said. “These funds are essential to meet the refugees’ basic survival needs.”

Participants at the meeting organized and hosted by the American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) for the UNRWA delegation during their visit to Dearborn on Tuesday, March 12. – Photo courtesy of the AHRC

She also shed light on the extreme challenges UNRWA is facing in Gaza, the state of starvation and the severe lack of healthcare aid to children, women and the elderly.

Community leaders urged the U.S. and all donor countries to not only restore UNRWA funding, but also to increase it, given the dire situation in Gaza. They condemned the Israeli bombing of UNRWA facilities and the killing of more than 150 of its employees in Gaza.

On the same day, De Meo and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud convened to discuss the ramifications of the federal government’s cessation of financial backing for the agency. They focused their discussions on collaborative avenues to advance shared humanitarian objectives in Gaza.

“Right now, in Gaza, UNRWA is the only agency that can ensure aid is directly received by the millions suffering from starvation and famine,” Hammoud said, adding that, “the decision to prohibit funding to the only entity that can facilitate aid will lead to the death of thousands of innocent civilians.”

He pointed out that even U.S. intelligence has “low confidence” in Israel’s UNRWA claims.

“I hope that the White House and Congressional leaders reach a spending agreement that provides UNRWA with the funding they need,” he said.

“UNRWA’s operation in Gaza serves as the backbone of the United Nations’ humanitarian response,” De Meo said, adding that “losing the support of our largest donor would make it much harder for us to assist the people of Gaza and regional stability.”

Since Israel made accusations against UNRWA personnel, prominent contributing countries, such as the United States, have halted their financial support for the organization. This organization is crucial in delivering essential services like food, water, medicine and shelter in the Gaza Strip, acting as a vital support system for the civilian population. The allegations focus on the assertion that at least a dozen UNRWA employees participated on October 7 in the Hamas attack against Israel.

American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) Executive Director Imad Hamad speaks at the community leadership meeting and next to him is Antonia Marie De Meo. – Photo courtesy of the AHRC

These accusations have been raised while Janez Lenarcic, the European Union’s top humanitarian aid official, told Reuters that he “had seen no evidence from Israel to back its accusations against staff from the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), which should continue playing a critical role in Gaza.”

On the other hand, the Biden administration also maintains that humanitarian efforts by aid organizations are essential. Also, the U.S. National Intelligence Council assessed with “low confidence” that a small group of UNRWA staff members took part in the October 7 attack. Meanwhile, according to UNRWA, at least 165 of its employees have been killed in Gaza since October 7, and more than 150 facilities have been bombed.

 

 

 

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and next to him is Antonia Marie De Meo.– Photo courtesy of the Mayor’s office

Several Democrats in the U.S. Senate and some progressive representatives in the House have expressed their opposition to a permanent cessation of funds for UNRWA. However, securing any fresh funding would require backing from a portion of the Republicans, who currently hold the majority in the House, and many have voiced their disapproval of UNRWA.

The organization was founded in 1949 by the U.N. General Assembly to provide relief to all refugees resulting from the 1948 conflict.