Mikati urges donor countries to resume UNRWA funding

BEIRUT — Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held a consultative meeting at the Grand Serail Wednesday with ambassadors of donor countries, during which he urged them to continue funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

UNRWA has seen funding pulled by multiple Western countries after Israel accused about a dozen of its employees of involvement in the Oct. 7 attack.

The meeting in Beirut included ambassadors from the United States, Canada, Denmark, the UK, France, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, and Qatar, as well as UN Humanitarian Coordinator Imran Riza, UNRWA Lebanon Director Dorothee Klaus, and Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee Chairman Bassel Al-Hassan.

During his introductory speech, Mikati emphasized the significance of supporting UNRWA, stating that the support for UNRWA is "of utmost importance," and discontinuing its funding would have "unforeseen repercussions."

"We urge the international community to continue supporting UNRWA to maintain stability in the country," Mikati added.

For her part, Dorothee Klaus, UNRWA Lebanon Director, expressed gratitude for the initiative and "thanked Mikati for the government's support." She acknowledged the necessity of UNRWA's services in Lebanon, serving "around 200,000 refugees in 12 camps."

Imran Riza, UN Humanitarian Coordinator, emphasized that the issue extends beyond UNRWA, impacting Lebanon's stability amid various crises. He stressed the "shared responsibility to address both UNRWA's funding and Lebanon's stability."

Following the earlier Israeli allegations about involvement in the Hamas attack, UNRWA fired the accused employees and began an internal probe. Officials and media outlets who viewed the dossier presented by Israel to the US that triggered the chain of funding suspensions have brought the quality and quantity of evidence provided into question.

Phillipe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, has said Israel provided no evidence against his former employees and warned that dismantling UNRWA would be "short-sighted."

"By doing so, we will sacrifice an entire generation of children, sowing the seeds of hatred, resentment and future conflict," he told the UN General Assembly.

The European Commission, recognizing steps taken by the UN, said Friday it would release $54 million in UNRWA funding.