2024-01-29
Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for International Aid and Global Justice, Senator Mehreen Faruqi has urged the Labor government to reverse its decision to suspend funding to UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, has appealed to the 10 donor countries that have withdrawn funding from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees to reconsider, given the horrific conditions in Gaza. UNRWA has 13,000 staff in Gaza and educates 30,000 children.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The Labor government’s blatant hypocrisy is on full display – suspending funding to UNRWA, while Palestinians are being killed, starved and displaced, but not so much as a slap on the wrist for Israel which is on a genocidal mission.
“The Labor government must immediately reverse its terrible decision to suspend aid funding.
“Suspending life-saving funding to the largest relief provider in Gaza is nothing short of catastrophic. It is a despicable and heartless act from Australia and other countries who have completely failed to condemn Israel for its war crimes for 114 days but jumped immediately to further collectively punish 2 million people in siege.
“People in Gaza are desperately dependent on UNRWA for their very survival, but Minister Wong has chosen to look away while Israel continues to bomb people to death with full cover from Western governments”.