The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on all Americans to urge their members of Congress to reject proposed legislation that would contribute to the ongoing starvation of Palestinians in Gaza by banning U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) until at least March 2025. Historically, the U.S. provides the agency $300 and $400 million a year.
TAKE ACTION – MESSAGE YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TODAY!
It is being reported that Congressional leaders and the White House have reached a tentative six-bill appropriations package to keep the government open till the fall, which includes the yearlong ban on UNRWA funding.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“We call on all Americans to urge their member of Congress to reject this diabolical attempt to support the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza banning funding for UNWRA. Numerous other nations, including Canada, restored funding to UNWRA after it became clear that the Israeli government was baselessly trying to rob Palestinians of the relief agency that enabled them to stay on their land despite decades of occupation and economic siege. President Biden and Congress should save the millions in Gaza facing famine by reinstating funding for UNRWA immediately – not barring it.”
“Please contact your representatives and senators today and demand that they take action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Our voices must be heard, and our actions can save lives.”
BACKGROUNDER:
The Biden Administration’s momentary decision to withhold funding from UNRWA should not be made binding at a time when the Palestinians in Gaza are starving and facing the threat of genocide by Israeli military forces using U.S.-supplied weapons.
UNRWA offers essential services such as education, healthcare, and social support to Palestinian refugees in various regions, including the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. It serves an estimated six million individuals displaced by conflicts in the Middle East.
At present, the Gaza Health Ministry reports that more than 30 people, predominantly children, have succumbed to malnutrition or dehydration in the past few weeks. This is an intolerable situation that demands immediate attention.
In February, the United Nations reported over a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents were believed to be confronting catastrophic levels of deprivation and starvation. The organization warned that without prompt intervention, the likelihood of widespread famine was deemed “almost inevitable.”
The far-right Netanyahu government has alleged that 12 of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees were implicated in the October 7th attacks. Since then, the Biden Administration has frozen U.S. aid to the United Nations agency.
On Sunday, Maryland Senator Van Hollen denounced Israel’s claims that UNRWA collaborated with in the October 7th attack as “flat-out lies.” These claims have led to the Biden Administration barring U.S. funding to UNRWA. Senator Van Hollen defended UNRWA while appearing on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” with news anchor Margaret Brennan.
CAIR believes that Congress must act swiftly to reverse course and ensure the resumption of U.S. humanitarian assistance funds to UNRWA – not cutting off one of the primary sources of Palestinian aid.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-999-8292, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com