Greenblatt Tells Security Council: Time to Replace UNRWA

YERUSHALAYIM
Jason Greenblatt in March, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Addressing the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, U.S. Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt said that organization’s aid agency UNRWA “has failed the Palestinian people.”

“Since the establishment of UNRWA, the United States has contributed about $6 billion, but there has been no progress in the quality of life of the Palestinians. UNRWA has abandoned the Palestinians, and they deserve much more, “Greenblatt said.

Greenblatt called the agency a “bandaid,” and declared that it was time to hand over services UNRW has been tasked with providing and transferring them to countries hosting the Palestinian Arab refugees and NGOs.

The envoy also repeated his call for the Palestinian Authority to participate in the Bahrain conference next month.

“It would be a mistake for the Palestinians not to join us. They have nothing to lose and much to gain if they do join us. But it is, of course, their choice,” he said.

He noted the “irony” that at the same time as the economic conference in Bahrain, UNRWA will be hosting a “pledging conference for a broken system,” that wastes the funds of donor countries.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!