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☆ Aid is being shipped to Gaza by sea. But a new maritime corridor is unlikely to stop the looming famine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

With Palestinians in Gaza in dire need, any aid is welcome, but aid groups say maritime and air-dropped aid should be complementary to land deliveries, not a substitute. How do maritime aid deliveries compare to other methods? The US and other countries have meanwhile been air-dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza, a method aid agencies have criticized as ineffective given the scale of need in Gaza. Mousa Salem/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians transport bags of flour on the back of trucks as humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza City on March 6. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Humanitarian aid packages are dropped from the air by Jordanian army planes in Gaza City on March 1.

Persons: WCK, Israel, ”, Michael Fakhr, Jamie McGoldrick, ” WCK, Joe Biden, Mahmud Hams, Lior Haiat, “, COGAT, Menahem Kahana, McGoldrick, Josep Borrell, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Loay, Fadi, Kamal Adwan, Omar Qattaa, Saher, Ahmed Qannan, Mohammed Salem, Said Khatib, Dawoud Abo, Jehad, crouches, Abed Zagout, Yazan, Rabie Abu Noqaira, Mohammed Abed, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yasser Qudih, Fatima Shbair, ” Juliette Touma, ” Touma Organizations: CNN, Gaza, Spanish, European Commission, United Arab, Israel, Aid, UN, Pentagon, AFP, Getty, Crescent, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Foreign, European Union, Food Programme, Gaza Ministry, Health, Washington Post, Kamal, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, US Air Force, UPI, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Communications Locations: Cyprus, Gaza, United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Israel, Port, Rimal, Gaza City, UAE, Palestinian, AFP, Cypriot, Territories, Kerem, Rafah, Egypt, Mousa Salem, Jordanian

☆ First ship carrying aid approaches Gaza Strip as Israel accused of stalling supplies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Dalya Al Masri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Video footage from the AFP news agency showed the ship visible off the shore of the Gaza Strip on Friday morning London time. Israel last year agreed to work with Cyprus in setting up an aid corridor across the sea between the European Union member and the Gaza Strip. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid and food supplies at the Kerem Shalom Crossing on the Israel-Gaza border. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said it continues to expand its efforts to enable the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Earlier this month, Refugees International released a report that alleges that Israel is obstructing the entry of life-saving supplies into the Gaza Strip.

Persons: —, Juliette Touma, Ahmad Hasaballah, Nebal Farsakh, Farsakh, Israel, Touma, Menahem Kahana, Philippe Lazzarini, Jesse Marks, Jordan, José Andrés, Jose Andres, Sen, Chris Coons, Peter Welch, Andres, Chip Somodevilla Organizations: Afp, Getty, AFP, European Union, Israeli Foreign Ministry, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, CNBC, Palestinian Health Ministry, Palestine Red Crescent Society, West Bank, Bloomberg, Israel Defense Forces, United Arab Emirates, ., IDF, Palestinian, Refugees International, UN, Gaza, Arms, U.S, Capitol Locations: Cypriot, Larnaca, Gaza, Spanish, Cyprus, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, Palestine, Israeli, Kerem, U.S, United States, Israel's, Morocco, Israel's Ben Gurion, WASHINGTON, DC, Washington ,

☆ Artists and Speakers Withdraw From SXSW Over U.S. Military’s Support of Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Emily Schmall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dozens of musicians and panelists have withdrawn from the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, to protest sponsorship by the U.S. Army and defense companies as pressure grows against the U.S. military’s support of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. More than 80 artists and panelists at SXSW had joined the boycott by Wednesday, according to one of the organizers, the Austin for Palestine Coalition. Ibrahim Batshon, a Palestinian American and the chief executive of BeatStars, a digital music-licensing platform and longtime sponsor of the music and technology festival, withdrew from SXSW after learning of the increased involvement this year of the U.S. Defense Department. The United States is the largest supplier of military equipment to Israel. Mr. Batshon, who is Palestinian American and is known as Abe, said that six of his family members were killed in a bombing in November while taking refuge at a church in Gaza City.

Persons: Ibrahim Batshon, Batshon, Abe Organizations: Southwest Conference, U.S . Army, U.S, SXSW, Wednesday, Austin for Palestine Coalition, U.S . Defense Department, Palestinian Locations: Austin , Texas, Gaza, Austin, Palestinian American, United States, Israel, Gaza City

☆ SXSW artists and speakers pull out of festival in protest of military and defense industry sponsorships
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | Amanda Jackson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The boycotting artists as of Tuesday were mainly small bands and indie performers, and have largely announced their decisions on social media. I refuse to be complicit in this and withdraw my art and labor in protest,” Williams said in an Instagram post. “The defense industry has historically been a proving ground for many of the systems we rely on today. The Army’s sponsorship is part of our commitment to bring forward ideas that shape our world,” the string of SXSW posts reads. The festival continues to “support human rights for all,” SXSW’s posts read.

Persons: Ella Williams, ”, ’, ” Williams, Yaya Bey, Mei Semones, Greg Abbott, Don’t, don’t, ” Abbott, Selena Gomez, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Mark Cuban Organizations: CNN, Southwest, Hamas, US Army, Singer, . Texas Gov, U.S, SXSW, Austin for Palestine Coalition, United Musicians, Allied Workers Locations: Austin , Texas, Israel, Gaza, South, Austin, ., Texas

☆ This Ramadan, American Muslims say they feel urgent need to send aid to Gaza as threat of mass starvation looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Monica Haider | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On Friday, the European Union announced it’s opening an emergency maritime aid corridor from Cyprus to Gaza with allies including the US. The day prior, President Joe Biden announced the US Military is planning to build a temporary port along the Gaza coast to try to deliver much-needed humanitarian relief. In 2023, the nonprofit Islamic Relief raised more than $30 million in online donations during Ramadan, according to a spokesman for the organization. The charity, Human Appeal, has provided humanitarian relief in Gaza since 1991, according to Samina Taj, the organization’s associate director of communications. Since the start of the war in Gaza, Taj said their teams have mobilized to try to meet the desperate need for aid.

Persons: Nadia Duwaik, Duwaik, Joe Biden, Israel, Rashid, Dawoud Abo, Jad Shaheen, they’re, ”, ” Duwaik, she’s, Awrad Saleh, “, ” Saleh, Khan, It’s, it’s, Allah, Nasma, Shehadeh, ” Shehadeh, Ashraf Amra, Taj, Ramadan, Noor Traina, Traina Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Health, United Nations, European Union, Military, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Anadolu Agency, Getty, West Bank, Palestinian Children’s Relief, United Nations Agency, Islamic Relief, Islamic, The United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees Locations: Israel, Gaza, United, Cyprus, al, Gaza City, Palestinian American, West, Palestine, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Bethlehem, New York, East, Egypt, Washington , DC, Libya

☆ Plan to Deliver Aid by Sea Faces Big Hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

“It constitutes tacit consent and encouragement on the part of the governments of Canada and Sweden to continue to ignore the involvement of UNRWA employees in terrorist activity,” the statement said. In a government statement on Saturday, Sweden said that it would disburse a conditional first payment of some $20 million. The United Nations has also commissioned an external review. The United States and other countries announced plans this week to try to get aid into northern Gaza by sea through the Mediterranean coast. In recent weeks, nations have been sending in aid via airdrops attached to parachutes.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ” Philippe Lazzarini, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNRWA, Nations, European Union, United, Palestinian Locations: Canada, Sweden, Gaza, Israel, United States, Jerusalem

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in 2019. Mark Kauzlarich | ReutersBEIJING — China's top diplomat slammed the U.S. for worsening bilateral tensions, while reiterating Beijing's support for peaceful resolutions to the Israel-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine conflicts. Wang said the U.S. has been devising "new ways to suppress China," saying U.S. accusations against China had reached an "unbelievable degree." While he said he sees a way forward for both countries, Wang said communication between both countries may only continue by respecting and recognizing differences. After the unexplained dismissal of Qin Gang as foreign minister in July last year, Wang reassumed the role.

Persons: Wang Yi, Mark Kauzlarich, Joe Biden's, Biden, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Wang, Qin, Wang reassumed, hasn't, Xi's, Lai Ching Organizations: Reuters, Reuters BEIJING —, China -, CNBC, Communist Party of, Qin Gang, United Nations, Democratic Progressive Party Locations: Reuters BEIJING, Israel, Palestine, Russia, Ukraine, China, China - U.S, San Francisco, South China, U.S, Gaza, Beijing, Taiwan, South

☆ Anesthetics, crutches, dates. Inside Israel’s ghost list of items arbitrarily denied entry into Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

In a January 13 press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted about permitting “minimal humanitarian aid” to enter Gaza. “We provide minimal humanitarian aid,” Netanyahu said. Other trucks carrying dates have been allowed into Gaza, according to UN data. Over 1,000 children have undergone leg amputations in Gaza, according to UNICEF, some without anesthesia. “An Israeli tank missile hit her when she was on the sixth floor of our building,” Bseiso told CNN.

Persons: Jordan, Joe Biden, Tamim al, Chris Murphy, Abed Zagout, ”, “, ” COGAT, COGAT, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Israel, Clodagh Kilcoyne, “ I’ve, Janti Soeripto, we’ve, ” Soeripto, Chris Van Hollen, Jeff Merkley, ” Van Hollen, they’d, Van Hollen, ” Tania Hary, GISHA, Ahed Bseiso, Hani Bseiso, ” Bseiso, ” Ahed, Bseiso, Ghassan Abu, Sittah, ” Abu, Dr Ghassan Abu, Alex Platt, Um Adel, Khan Younis, Jamie McGoldrick, Marwan al, Mary Rogers Organizations: Jordan —, CNN, United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, Getty, Children, UN, “, Bseiso Medicines, World Health Organization, Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Thani, ”, Anadolu, Arish, Rafah, Gazan, there’s, Territories, COGAT, ” Israel, Israel, Egypt, Nitzana, Palestinian, London, Abu, British, Khan, Jordanian, Jordan, Al

☆ Red Crescent suspends coordinated medical missions with Israeli forces in Gaza due to safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Tara John | Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The suspension means teams will not work on humanitarian missions in areas where the Israeli military is present in Gaza, PRCS told CNN. Despite prior coordination with the Israeli military, PRCS said its staff and patients have repeatedly been mistreated by troops. Health care and aid workers have reported being detained and abused by Israeli forces in the strip. In the wake of the strike on February 5, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees decided to stop sending convoys to northern Gaza. A large-scale expansion of the flow of assistance to northern Gaza is urgently needed to avoid disaster,” the statement said.

Persons: PRCS, Israel, Khan Younis, ” PRCS, ’, CNN’s, ” Organizations: CNN, Red Crescent Society, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, International Committee, World Health Organization, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry of Health, UN, IDF, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Food Programme Locations: Gaza, Rafah “, Israel, Health

☆ Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh resigns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh speaks during a press conference after several key donor countries halted funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in the West Bank city of Ramallah on January 28, 2024, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday he was resigning to allow for the formation of a broad consensus among Palestinians about political arrangements following Israel's war against the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority, formed 30 years ago under the interim Oslo peace accords, exercises limited governance over parts of the occupied West Bank but lost power in Gaza following a struggle with Hamas in 2007. A senior Hamas official said the move had to be followed by a broader agreement on governance for the Palestinians. So far, almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza fighting, according to Palestinian health authorities, and almost the entire population has been driven from their homes.

Persons: Mohammad Shtayyeh, Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas, Fatah, Sami Abu Zuhri Organizations: Palestinian, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, West Bank, Hamas, Gaza . Palestinian, Palestinian Authority, Reuters Locations: Ramallah, Israel, Gaza ., Gaza, Palestine, Oslo, Moscow

CNN —A small, curly-haired boy walks wearily through the chapel of St. Philip, in Gaza City, northern Gaza, as Israeli drones whir overhead. “There is nothing left here.”In recent weeks, the Israeli military ramped up aerial attacks on parts of central and northern Gaza. Several Palestinians told CNN there is no peace to be found among the rubble. Israeli attacks on Gaza have since killed at least 29,313 Palestinians and injured another 69,333 people, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. “We saw stuff that no one has ever seen, and no one can even imagine,” Salah Abu Issa, a doctor who volunteers at the chapel, told CNN.

Persons: Philip, Mohammed Taysser Sadallah, ”, “, Abu Mohammed Al, ” Abu Mohammed Al, Zarik, Al, ” Israel, ‘, Salah Abu Issa, Philip's, Mustafa Hassona, CNN “, Omar Qattaa, Abu Issa, Philip . “, ” Ahmed, Salah Eddin, Abu Tareq, Khattab, Ashraf Amra, “ Ibrahim, Ibrahim Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Health, Getty, Aid, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Al, Amal, ”, Hamas, IDF, Shifa, . Pictures, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Zaytoun, Rafah, Israel, St, Anadolu, Palestine, Al, Deir al, Aqsa

☆ Biden and Jordanian king look to move Israel-Hamas war to a new phase
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden and King Abdullah II of Jordan met Monday aiming to figure out how to move the Israel-Hamas war into a new phase in which Israeli hostages are released and fighting stops for a prolonged period of time. “The key elements of the deal are on the table,” Biden said while addressing reporters alongside the king at the White House. “We cannot stand by and let this continue,” the Jordanian king told reporters. The president’s supporters have frequently pointed to the Israel-Hamas war as evidence of Biden’s mental faculties being in good shape. The Jordanian and Egyptian governments have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while Biden has resisted making a similar call.

Persons: Joe Biden, King Abdullah II, Jordan, ” Biden, I’ve, “, Biden, Abdullah, ”, ” Abdullah, Robert Hur’s, Biden’s amped, King Abdullah, Kamala Harris, Hur, ” Harris, Daniel Goldman, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Blinken, CNN’s MJ Lee, Priscilla Alvarez, Betsy Klein, Kevin Liptak Organizations: Washington CNN, White, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, United Nations, Wing, Biden, Democratic, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Israeli, US, CNN Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza, Rafah, Jordanian, “, New York, Jordan, Egypt, Amman, Gaza’s Al, Ahli, Iran

☆ Tunnel complex with rows of computer servers discovered under UN aid agency HQ in Gaza, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it discovered a Hamas complex under a UN agency HQ in Gaza. AdvertisementThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it discovered a Hamas complex under a UN aid agency's headquarters in Gaza. An Israeli soldier gestured in what the military described as a Hamas command tunnel running partly under UNRWA headquarters. The WSJ report published a photo of a room containing eight black server racks "inside what Israeli military officials say is a Hamas intelligence hub." The Israeli military has nicknamed the subterranean world "the Gaza metro."

Persons: —, gestured, António Guterres, Israel's Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, UN, IDF, Street Journal, Service, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Street, Associated Press, Hamas, New, Reuters, Cross, Rafah, Business Locations: Gaza, East, Gaza City, Israeli, Palestinian, Israel

☆ Why only a trickle of aid is getting into Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Getting any form of relief into Gaza is a long and arduous process, aid workers and the UN say. An average of 95 aid trucks per day entered Gaza between October 10 and February 1, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, down from 500 commercial and aid trucks a day before the war, when Palestinians weren’t facing mass displacement and starvation. Following pressure from the US, Israel began allowing aid trucks to pass through Kerem Shalom in late December. Protesters blocking trucksIsraeli protesters have more than once blocked trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza via Israeli crossings. Risk of bombardmentOnce relief enters Gaza, Israeli bombardment, damage to roads from airstrikes, communications blackouts and mass displacement impede distribution within the enclave.

Persons: Martin Griffiths, Yoav Gallant, Israel, Juliette Touma, Philippe Lazzarini, ”, ” Lazzarini, Kerem Shalom, Sameh Shoukry, Erez, Khan Younis, Belal Al Sabbagh, “, Griffiths, ” Touma, Khan, Abed Zagout, Touma Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Humanitarian Affairs, Emergency Relief, UN, Palestinian, Palestine, UNRWA, Israeli Defense Forces, International Court of Justice, Getty, ” Trucks, Food Programme, IDF, United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, Food Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Territories, Egypt, Rafah, Khan, AFP, Kerem Shalom, Khan Younis, Anadolu, ”, Gaza City

☆ Live updates: The latest on the Israel-Hamas news
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Chris Lau | Andrew Raine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

A woman and children sit outside tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza, on February 8. Satellite images showed this week how a tent city has swelled in size in just a few weeks. Also, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised concerns about the expansion into Rafah during meetings with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials this week, two Israeli officials told CNN on Wednesday. Non-governmental organizations issue warnings: Several non-governmental organizations have warned about the humanitarian consequences of Israeli operations in Rafah. Half of UNRWA requests to deliver aid in Gaza denied: The UN's main relief agency in Gaza said Friday that half of its aid mission requests to deliver aid in Gaza since the beginning of the year have been denied.

Persons: Mohammed Abed, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Vedant Patel, Antony Blinken, Netanyahu, won’t, Philippe Lazzarini Organizations: Getty, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, Wednesday, Norwegian Refugee Council, Hamas, The United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Locations: Rafah, Gaza, AFP, ”, Israel, United States, Egypt

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minneapolis City Council overrode a mayoral veto on Thursday and approved a resolution that calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and for an end to U.S. military funding to Israel. Wazwaz said the Minneapolis resolution is unique because it calls for a complete end to U.S. aid to Israel. Minneapolis is the latest U.S. city to approve such a non-binding resolution, following Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit and San Francisco in recent months. According to the Associated Press on Thursday, the Palestinian death toll from the war has surpassed 27,000 people, the Health Ministry in Gaza said. The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault into Israel, in which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250.

Persons: Jacob Frey, “, Elliott Payne, Aisha Chughtai, Sana Wazwaz, Israel, Wazwaz, ‘, ”, Nat El Organizations: Minneapolis City, ”, Palestine's, Jewish, Peace's Twin, Jewish Voice, Peace, Associated Press, Health Ministry Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, Minneapolis, Gaza, U.S, Israel, Palestine's Minnesota, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco

☆ The US risks joining a long list of powers that tried and failed to stop the Houthis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. But while the US enjoys overwhelming military superiority over the Houthis, defeating this tribal movement would be a nightmare. Case in point: Egypt tried to suppress the Houthis in the 1960s. Today's Houthis are attacking ships in the Red Sea – and hurling ballistic missiles at Israel – ostensibly in response to Israel's military operations in Gaza. Indeed the rebellion eased Israel's lightning victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, a fact that the Houthis have chosen not to publicize.

Persons: —, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jesse Ferris, Nasser's Gamble, Nasser, quagmire, Islam –, Yemen —, Ferris, Mohammed Hamoud, Israel –, Israel, Lawrence Organizations: Service, Business, Broadway, Israel Democracy Institute, Palestine, US, Royalists, British, Yemeni Locations: Yemen, Egypt, Vietnam, British, Zaidi, Islam, Arab, Soviet, Russia, America, Afghanistan, Gaza, Saudi, Britain, Israel, Iran

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The stabbing of a 23-year-old Palestinian American who advocates say was attacked near the University of Texas campus while riding in a truck displaying support for Palestine merits the label of a hate crime, Austin police announced Wednesday. Police said Wednesday that their Hate Crimes Review Committee had determined that the stabbing met the definition of a hate crime. A fight ensued, with Baker eventually pulling out a knife and stabbing Doar in the rib, the affidavit said. In Vermont in November, three college students of Palestinian descent were shot and seriously wounded while taking an evening walk in an attack that authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime. He was charged with a hate crime after police and relatives said he singled out the victims because of their faith.

Persons: Bert James Baker, Doar, Baker Organizations: University of Texas, Austin, Police, Islamic, Palestine, Jewish, Hamas Locations: AUSTIN, Texas, Palestine, Travis, Israel, Gaza, Vermont, Illinois

☆ Opinion | The World Needs to Stand by UNRWA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Espen Barth Eide | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, the nearly 75-year-old agency that is almost entirely funded by voluntary contributions. But now is exactly the wrong time to halt funding for UNRWA. Norway is standing fast to our commitment to continue funding this crucial agency and to the Palestinian people. As the Norwegian foreign minister, I urge fellow donor countries to reflect on the wider consequences of cutting UNRWA off. And since UNRWA also supports millions of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, a stop to payments could further destabilize an already extremely volatile region.

Organizations: United Nations, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, Norway, Norwegian, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

☆ Opinion: UNWRA’s day of reckoning is near
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Editor’s Note: Michael Bociurkiw (@WorldAffairsPro) is a global affairs analyst and former UNICEF spokesperson for Gaza and the West Bank. But UNRWA funding differs from other UN agencies such as UNICEF, in that it’s mostly dependent on government funding. And that’s why countries pulling funding — as they have done this past week — is such a potentially fatal blow to its operations. Tiny Jordan already hosts at least 2 million Palestinians, including many from Gaza who arrived decades ago. Note: This op-ed has been updated to reflect the latest number of UNRWA employees Israel alleges were associated with Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Read, Michael Bociurkiw Chrystia Chudczak, Khan Younis, Mohammed Talatene, Israel —, there’s, Abed Zagout, Tiny Jordan, Ashraf Amra Organizations: UNICEF, West Bank, CNN, United Nations, UNICEF —, Toyota, Cruisers, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces, UNRWA, West, UN, Assembly, Palestinian Authority, UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Getty, World Health Organization Locations: Gaza, East, Children’s, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Philadelphia, City, Canada, Germany, Rafa, Anadolu, Egypt, Qatar, Deir al Balah

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) assists Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank, as well as in Gaza. Some $440 million of funding has been suspended, according to UNRWA, which has 13,000 staff in Gaza. The agency said the severe humanitarian needs of Palestinians in Gaza would likely deteriorate further if the funding is not restored. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday called for UNRWA to be dismantled and replaced by other aid groups. And we have discovered in the last few weeks that UNRWA officials were complicit in the massacre,” he said.

Persons: –, Philippe Lazzarini, Khan Younis, Thomas White, ” White, ”, Khaled Omar, Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, “, Yoav Hallant Organizations: CNN, United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, West Bank, UNRWA Affairs, Training Center, UNRWA, Getty, ”, International Court of Justice, Israel, UN Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, United States, Rafah, Amman, Xinhua, South Africa, Israeli, The Hague

☆ UNRWA Could Shut Down by End of February if Funding Does Not Resume
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA (Reuters) - The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume. A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have paused their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel. "The agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. "If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region." Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and fosters anti-Israeli sentiment, something UNRWA has vigorously denied.

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, defunding, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nidal Al, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, United Nations Palestinian, World Health Organization, WHO, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, General, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Germany, Britain, Israel

☆ The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Long Shadow of 1948
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Emily Bazelon | A Discussion Moderated Emily Bazelon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

In 1948, Jews realized their wildly improbable dream of a state, and Palestinians experienced the mass flight and expulsion called the Nakba, or catastrophe. It’s only in 1948 that the Arabs become Palestinians and the Jews become Israelis. Many Jews became lower-level officers during World War II, and they brought their new military expertise to the 1948 war. Zoltan Kluger/GPO, via Getty Images Palestinian bombers destroyed buildings on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem in March 1948. Bettmann/Getty Images A Palestinian refugee cut off from her home by the border established after the 1948 war.

Persons: Matson, —, Khalil Raad, Yaakov Ben Dov Delegates, Haj Amin al, Husseini, ”, It’s, Avraham Avinu, David, Fox, King David Hotel, David Ben, Gurion, “, Hitler, Hans Pinn, Abd al, Qadir al, Chalil, Zoltan Kluger, Ben Yehuda, Hugo H, Mendelsohn, John Phillips, Palestine ”, UNSCOP, Bettmann, Ruth Orkin, David Seymour, Jordan, Israel, Abdullah, Nadim, Leena Dallasheh, Abigail Jacobson, Moshe Naor, ” Derek Penslar, ” Itamar Rabinovich, Salim Tamari, Emily Bazelon, Herzl, Faisal Al, Hashemi, James Russell &, Bain, Jabotinsky, Abraham Pisarek, Weizmann, Heinrich Hoffmann Organizations: Congress, Institute for Palestine, Palestinian, . Institute for Palestine, Matson, Palestine, Getty, of Congress British, Peel, Zionist, Jewish, British Armed Forces, Allied, King, of Congress Women, Hulton, Biltmore, British, Agence France, Getty Images, Refugees, West Bank, Shutterstock, United Nations, League of Nations, United, United Nations Jewish, Madver, The, Palestine Studies, Columbia University, Columbia University , New York University, Rice University, Islamic, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University, Tel Aviv University, Birzeit University, Institute for Palestine Studies, The New York Times Magazine, James Russell & Sons, of Congress, Israel, Ben, General Photographic Agency, Society, International Affairs Locations: Palestine, City, Jerusalem, Canadian American, Israel, British, Jaffa, Damascus, Old City, Hebron, Safed, Europe, Arab, North Africa, New York City, Middle Eastern, Haifa, Cyprus, Jenin, U.S, United Nations, Iraq, Tel Aviv’s Lod, Lebanon, Eyal, el Bared, Egypt, Syria, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Ashdod, Palestinian, United States, Qatar, Iran, Columbia University ,, Nazareth, Israeli, Husseini

☆ UN Chief Says UNRWA Is 'Backbone' of Gaza Aid Response
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) as "the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza" and appealed to all countries to "guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's lifesaving work." "I was personally horrified by these accusations," Guterres told the U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The accusations became public on Friday when UNRWA announced it had fired some staff after Israel provided the agency with information. UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza, running schools, its primary healthcare clinics and other social services, and distributing humanitarian aid. "The humanitarian system in Gaza is collapsing," Guterres said.

Persons: Michelle Nichols UNITED, Antonio Guterres, Israel, Guterres, Michelle Nichols, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Hamas, Palestinian, Islamic Jihad, UNRWA, Gaza's Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, United States, Israeli

☆ A Palestinian restaurant in New York hosted a free Shabbat dinner. Over 1,300 people showed up.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Talia Lakritz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Owner Abdul Elenani hosted a Shabbat dinner to foster dialogue and thank those who stood by him. Fluffy pita was piled next to enormous loaves of challah bread, a traditional Jewish Shabbat dinner staple. Over 1,300 people showed up to Ayat's free community Shabbat dinner. A range of perspectivesAyat's Shabbat dinner attracted people from various backgrounds and perspectives who may not normally have shared a meal together. If Ayat's packed Shabbat dinner is any indication, people are hungry for such spaces now more than ever.

Persons: Abdul Elenani, —, pita, Ayat, Talia Lakritz, Yousef Munayyer, Elenani, we're, it's, I'm, Masoud, Paula Rackoff, Myriam Marques, Abby Stein, Ellen Lippmann Organizations: Service, Defamation League, Facebook, New York Post, Physicians for Human Rights, Racial, Economic Locations: Palestinian, NYC, Israel, Ditmas, New York City, Palestine

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