Japan Follows US Temporarily Stop Funds For The UN Agency For Palestinian Refugees

PHOTOS VIA UN/DOCUMENTATION

JAKARTA - Japan joins the United States and several other countries in deciding to suspend funding for the United Nations (UNRWA) agency that supports Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The suspension of funding was carried out by Japan amid allegations that a UNRWA staff member might have been involved in a Hamas attack on Israel last year.

A spokesman for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maki Kobayashi said in a press release explaining additional assistance to the UN Assistance and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) would be temporarily suspended. As reported by ANTARA, Monday, January 29, the termination, saidKobayashi, was carried out pending the results of the investigation into the allegations and considering countermeasures.

Japan's move comes following the announcement of the United States on Friday (26/1) that the US would suspend funding for UNRWA. The decision was taken because the US was "very worried" on charges that 12 UNRWA employees may have been involved in a surprise attack by southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Japan also stated "very worried" over allegations of involvement of UNRWA personnel in "terror attacks". Japan urged the UN agency to investigate the case and take appropriate steps so that UNRWA could "teguhly fulfill its supposed role", Kobayashi said.

The October 7 attack by Hamas triggered Israel to launch an attack on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 26,000 people in the Palestinian enclave controlled by Hamasitu and caused the humanitarian condition there to get worse.

Several Western countries, such as Britain, have followed the United States in discontinuing funding for UNRWA.

UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on Saturday (27/1) that the decision by nine countries to suspend funding "threatened ongoing humanitarian work across the region including and especially in the Gaza Strip."