UNRWA Aid Sustains Palestinian Misery
By absolving Israel and the Palestinian governments of responsibility, UNRWA is actually sustaining the sorry state of the Palestinians, Rana Baker writes.
When the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the UN branch catering for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, as well as in the Arab world, announced that it would cut its cash handouts citing budget shortfalls, dozens of affected Palestinians stormed one of the agency's main compounds in Gaza.
Obviously angered by the incident, a statement published on UNRWA's website declared that the organization would suspend its operations "until guarantees are given by all relevant groups that UNRWA operations can continue unhindered."
Hamas, the political party ruling Gaza since 2006, said that UNRWA's response is "unjustified."
Of course, it is not justified. And why should it be, when Hamas cannot afford to cover the needs of the population it governs? After all, Hamas does not receive aid and cash directly from the US and the European Union, as does the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. This, together with an inefficient, if not corrupt, system of governance and a laughable focus of efforts on trivial matters, further cripple the government's ability to reconcile the increasing poverty and unemployment.
