Inhumane and reckless

From the very beginning of the US President Donald Trump’s term, talk about the notorious century’s deal started with the aim of liquidating the Palestine question and destroying any prospects for just and comprehensive peace which guarantees the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to self- determination and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Radical American Zionists are sure to produce radical Zionist proposals. It’s the nature of things. And the dealmaker trio – Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman – even boasts of supporting and funding illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The extremist Netanyahu revised Peres’ old proposal and proposed “economic peace” – presumably a “realistic” approach to the “complex” and “historic” conflict. It requires the so-called “moderate” Arab regimes and a sensible Palestinian leadership that puts aside the “grandfather’s conflict” for the sake of the “children’s future” – as Kushner parroted in a recent interview. If no such leadership exists, it must be invented. For “if there is peace, Israel’s prosperity would spill over very quickly to the Palestinians.”

The  recent decision made by the United States in freezing the funding of a United Nations aid program for Palestinian refugees is a flagrant assault against Palestinians. The consecutive American decisions represent a flagrant assault against the Palestinian people and a defiance of the UN resolutions. Such a punishment will not succeed to change the fact that the United States no longer has a role in the region and that it is not a part of the solution.

The US State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, referred to the aid program as “irredeemably flawed,” adding that the US administration had “carefully reviewed” the issue and “will not make additional contributions to UNRWA.” The administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to cancel all US funding of the United Nations aid program for Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA was originally established to take care of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It currently supports more than five million Palestinians across the Middle East, providing them with health care, education and social services.

Experts in the US have warned over the Trump administration’s single-minded focus on satisfying the short-term goals of Israel and its supporters in the US, even at the cost of American interests.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has censured as “inhumane and reckless” a recent decision by the United States to cut some $300 million in planned funding for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA).

The US administration’s decision to terminate all funding to UNRWA is a cruel and irresponsible move targeting the most vulnerable segment of Palestinian society. The Palestinian refugees are already the victims, who have lost their homes, livelihoods and security as a result of the creation of Israel, and once again, they are being victimized by the US administration in support of Israel’s decades-long military occupation and impunity.

UNRWA provides 5.3 million Palestinian refugees residing in 58 refugee camps in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria “with a sense of hope and security through its vital services, support and opportunities for work, growth and development.”

It also provides protection for the Palestinian refugees to ensure that their rights under international law are protected and promoted. The real outcome of the US administration’s latest unilateral and reckless policy is the destabilization of the entire region and the creation of unimaginable suffering and hardship for the Palestinian refugees.

With such a decision, the US is destroying the very foundations of peace and stability besides taking all permanent status issues off the table, including the right of return for refugees and occupied Jerusalem.

Until the plight of the Palestinian refugees is resolved in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, including … United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194 (III), we call on all members of the international community to shoulder their responsibilities towards Palestinian refugees and provide the necessary support and financial assistance UNRWA needs to fulfil its mandate.

The US measure aims to abolish the right of return and represents a dangerous escalation by the United States against Palestinian people. This decision reflects the Zionist background of the American leadership, which became an enemy of our people and nation. The Palestinians  will not surrender to such unjust decisions and will never cede their inalienable rights to self-determination and the establishment of  their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

K.Q.