Sweden has announced it will stop funding the embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, while doubling its aid to Gaza through alternative channels. This makes Sweden the first country to act following Israel’s Knesset legislation to cease UNRWA operations by January 2025.
This milestone highlights Israel’s success in raising global awareness about UNRWA’s controversial role in Gaza.
Key points you should know:
- Funding Withdrawal: Sweden’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, announced the decision to halt UNRWA funding, citing concerns about the agency’s operations and allegations of misconduct. Dousa emphasized that Sweden has alternative ways to deliver aid to Gaza, especially as Israeli legislation will restrict UNRWA’s operations. During his visit to Israel this week, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel publicly thanked him for discussing Gaza aid distribution.
- UNRWA Replacement Exists: The Swedish government will distribute aid via several organizations including the U.N. World Food Program (WFP), the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the U.N. Populations Fund (UNFPA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Sweden announced.
- International Context: This move aligns with actions taken by other countries, such as the United States, which have also suspended or reduced funding to UNRWA amid similar concerns.
- UNRWA’s Controversial Role. Established in 1949, UNRWA provides education, healthcare, and social services to 5.9 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. However, the agency has been criticized for inflating refugee figures, employing Hamas operatives involved in the October 7 attack, and fostering antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric in its schools. This year, a Hamas terror commander was discovered working at an UNRWA school in Lebanon, highlighting concerns beyond Israel and the Palestinian territories.
- Potential Impact: Aid flow won’t be impacted. Sweden has doubled its aid for Gaza and found alternative means for distribution. However, removing UNRWA from the aid distribution chain represents a blow to the narrative that the embattled aid agency is irreplaceable.
Swedish Minister Benjamin Dousa meets Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel in Israel on Dec. 17.
We at the American Jewish Congress have been closely monitoring UNRWA’s role before and after the October 7 Hamas invasion and massacre in Israel for patterns in the agency’s operations that amplified the threat from Gaza to Israel and the region. We invite you to review some of our findings:
- Israel Notifies UN of End to UNRWA Agreement.
- Israel-UN Showdown Over UNRWA: The Facts Must Be Faced.
- Terror Links Tarnish Philippe Lazzarini’s UNRWA. New Evidence Shows It Cannot Be Rescued.
- UNRWA Funneled Our Aid to Terrorists
- PRESS RELEASE: UNRWA Is Part of the Problem; American Jewish Congress Joins Calls to Dissolving It to Create and Fund a New Humanitarian Solution
- PRESS RELEASE: American Jewish Congress Welcomes State Department’s Suspension of UNRWA Funding; Calls for Permanent Halt
- PRESS RELEASE: American Jewish Congress Commends President-Elect Trump’s Choice of Rep. Elise Stefanik as Next U.S. Ambassador to the UN
- How Rep. Stefanik’s Appointment Impacts The UN
- BUSTED: Hamas Caught with Hostages Inside, and Tunnels Below, Shifa Hospital
