According to two sources, an agreement reached by U.S. congressional leaders and the White House on a massive bill funding military, State Department and a range of other government programs will continue a ban on U.S. funding for UNRWA, the main U.N. agency for Palestinians, until March 2025.
The two sources familiar with the agreement told Reuters that the funding would be blocked for a year, and that details of alternative efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza would be discussed after the legislation is made public.
President Joe Biden’s administration said in January it was temporarily pausing new funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) following accusations made by Israel against 12 of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza.
The U.S. Senate passed legislation last month cutting off funding for the agency.
(WAFA)
