Hundreds of Palestinian refugees gathered on Wednesday in Jabalya refugee camp, to the northeast of Gaza, to protest the United States recent decision to scale down its financial contribution and food aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which will affect the livelihoods of thousands of refugee families in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The protesters waved banners that condemned the US move against UNRWA as well as the decision of US President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Protesters gather outside the UNDP office in Gaza in protest against the United States' decision to scale back its subsidies to the UNRWA. pic.twitter.com/QDf4Zql63N
— Days of Palestine (@DaysofPalestine) January 24, 2018
The gathering, which was called for by the national and Islamic forces, also denounced the biased US position toward Israel, calling on the international community not to give in to the Israeli and US dictates.
The United States, the largest contributor to UNRWA, announced on January 16 that it will withhold $65 million out of $125 million it had planned to send to UNRWA this month. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states.
(Wafa, PC, Social Media)
