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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.
Palestinians wait to receive food supplies inside a United Nations food distribution centre in Gaza City April 10, 2013. The main U.N. humanitarian agency for Palestinians said on Monday it was reopening its Gaza food distribution centres after suspending operations last week in response to violent protests over aid cutbacks. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTXYFYU

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."

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