Defunding UN agency for Palestinians could pose threat to regional stability, warns Borrell

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – The EU's foreign policy chief has warned against defunding the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), calling it "dangerous" and threatening regional stability.

Josep Borrell wrote a blog post on the EU's official website late Sunday, saying that "allegations against UNRWA staff are serious, and no one responsible should go unpunished."

However, he stressed political responsibility over emotional reactions, warning that "Defunding UNRWA would be both disproportionate and dangerous."

Borrell recalled UNRWA's significant role in the Gaza Strip, such as "distributing food, water, and medicine to 1.1 million people suffering from catastrophic hunger and the outbreak of diseases," and noted that the other UN agencies could not operate without UNRWA's assistance.

"Currently, the suspended funds amount to more than USD 440 million, almost half of the agency's expected income in 2024, putting its very existence at risk. Should UNRWA cease or limit services, which may be the case as early as the end of February, it would significantly aggravate the ongoing dramatic humanitarian crisis," Borrell warned.

UNRWA's "demise" would also threaten regional stability, he added.

Several countries have suspended UNRWA funding after Tel Aviv alleged that some of the agency's employees were involved in the cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

UNRWA said it terminated contracts with several employees following the Israeli allegations.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing at least 27,365 Palestinians and injuring 66,630 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.