A Message from the “Department of External Relations of the Democratic Front” to International Institutions and Political Parties

Ladies and Gentlemen, in political and popular institutions and international parties,
Greetings and respect,
We address you with this message in light of the developments affecting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), whose repercussions extend beyond the humanitarian dimension to the very core of the refugee issue and their rights.
The Israeli campaign against UNRWA cannot be viewed merely as one of the consequences of the war of annihilation waged on the Gaza Strip; rather, it dates back many years. However, Israel has sought to exploit the Western and NATO alliances that emerged as a result of the war to launch a comprehensive campaign against the Agency. It has put forward accusations that have not been substantiated to date, according to several international investigative committees, which have indicated that Israel’s objective is to “delegitimize UNRWA.”
As a result of Israeli policies, and the response of some Western donor countries, more than six million Palestinian refugees have been significantly affected by the measures taken against UNRWA. Some of these countries have completely suspended their financial contributions, others have reduced their support to a minimum, while still others have redirected their contributions to other international organizations. Consequently, for the first time in its history, UNRWA has been forced to adopt a policy of rationing its services.
Although UNRWA is an integral part of the United Nations system and operates under the full authority of the General Assembly—which oversees its budget and the appointment of its staff (numbering approximately 30,000 employees)—Israel has disregarded this status. It has annulled memoranda of understanding with the Agency, destroyed its headquarters in the Gaza Strip, enacted laws preventing it from operating in Palestinian territories, seized its premises in Jerusalem, subjected it to legal prosecution on the grounds of operating without a license, and even gone so far as to classify it as a “terrorist organization.”
According to available data, the overwhelming majority of Palestinian refugees depend directly on UNRWA services. Therefore, the suspension of funding has severely impacted the Agency’s operations and, in turn, the lives of millions of refugees. The education sector has been among the most affected, with approximately 500,000 students enrolled in UNRWA schools across its five areas of operation: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
On the health front, and in the absence of alternatives, more than three million refugees have benefited in recent years from UNRWA’s health services, while the number of annual visits to its clinics and health centers has reached approximately 9.3 million—reflecting the high level of reliance on these services. In the relief sector, more than 1.5 million Palestinian refugees receive essential food assistance, either regularly or through emergency programs linked to wars and crises.
The current crisis facing UNRWA is not limited to financial aspects alone; it carries profound political dimensions that target the very essence of the Palestinian refugee issue. Since its establishment, the Agency’s reliance on voluntary funding has enabled donor countries to use such funding as a tool of political pressure, by attaching conditions to it or pushing toward ending the Agency’s role under the pretext that it perpetuates the refugee issue.
This is further evidenced by the alignment of certain Western positions with the Israeli vision—not with the aim of improving the Agency’s performance, but rather to weaken it and reduce its role. There is also a growing risk of redefining who qualifies as a Palestinian refugee, in a way that could exclude millions and transform the issue from a political and legal matter into a purely humanitarian relief file—thus threatening historical rights, foremost among them the right of return.
Protecting UNRWA requires sustained political and financial support, and a firm rejection of any attempts to dismantle it or diminish its role. Therefore, we address you with this message in the hope that it will resonate with various political, party, parliamentary, popular, and trade union forces, as well as all those committed to the remaining values of law, justice, and human rights—so as to preserve UNRWA, support it financially, and exert pressure on donor countries to cease their participation in the campaign targeting Palestinian refugees and UNRWA.