New Delhi: India has contributed USD 2.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has faced allegations from Israel of its staff having links to Hamas.
India’s contribution comes at a time when other major world powers like the US and UK continue mull over whether they should unfreeze funds to the UN agency.
On Monday, India released the first tranche of $2.5 million to UNRWA as a part of its annual contribution of $5 million for the financial year 2024-2025. This brings India’s total contributions to the cash-strapped UNRWA to $39.5 million.
“India joins the countries that restored funding to UNRWA, even though India did not stop this support previously. It emphasizes the failure of Israeli attempts to target UNRWA, its role, and attempts to replace it with other institutions,” Dr Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, Counsellor (Counsellor Political and Media), Embassy of the State of Palestine, told ThePrint.
“We consider India’s support for Palestinian refugees a support for the role of UNRWA and a victory for it,” he added.
The UNRWA serves 5.9 million Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member countries.
ThePrint reached the Israeli embassy for comment via calls but did not receive a response. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
According to Israeli journalist and political commentator Lev Aran, India’s support for UNRWA should not be seen as a strategic move. “India’s modest financial support should be contextualised primarily as emergency aid rather than a strategic policy endorsement. India wants to be part of the humanitarian aid, without making strategic decisions about whether the Israeli claims about the organisation are justified or wrong,” he told ThePrint.
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In January, 16 countries including the UK, US, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Japan and more cut funding to the UN agency. However, almost all have resumed funding barring the US, the UK and New Zealand.
In April, an independent review panel released a report stating that Israel has not provided enough evidence to support its accusations that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of Hamas. It blamed Israel for “financially hobbling” the agency and depriving it of around $450 million. The UN Secretary General went on to accept the findings of the report.
When the war first broke out, Narendra Modi — the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel — condemned the 7 October attack by Hamas and expressed solidarity with Israel. It set India apart from reactions in the ‘Global South’, and hewed closer to the position of the US and other G7 countries at the time. Five days later, the MEA clarified that New Delhi maintains its “long-standing” position on the need for a two-state solution.
History of India’s contributions to UNRWA
India began financial support for UNRWA in 2002, far later than the US and the European Union (EU), which began donations in the 1950s and 1970s, respectively.
From 2009 to 2015, India contributed $1 million each year, until this was increased to $1.25 million every year from 2016 to 2017, according to UN data. In 2018, India increased its annual donation to $5 million and since then, has disbursed this in two tranches of $2.5 million each. The tranche released earlier this week was the first this year.
Following the allegations by Israel that some UNRWA personnel had links to Hamas, 16 countries suspended funding to the agency including one its biggest donors — the US. The US has consistently provided the UN agency upwards of $200 million every year with the European Union (EU) close behind at about $90 million, according to data from the UN.
Last week, during the UNRWA Pledging Conference in New York, India said that in addition to financial assistance, it will provide medicines to UNRWA based on the agency’s request.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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Surprising that India being one of the first countries to recognise the state of Palestine, started giving funds to UNRWA this late. Was there any other source through which India provided aid to the Palestinians