Tell Congress to reinstate full aid to UNRWA Indiana

Why must Palestinians face additional cruelty from the U.S.?

As salaamu alaykum, Indiana—

The Israeli war machine works in tandem with a world-class propaganda machine that spreads disinformation with devastating consequences for Palestinians.

Israel's latest victim is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

UNRWA provides critical humanitarian aid and services to millions of people, including medical care, food, shelter, and more. They are the single largest providers of aid to Palestinians in Gaza who are trying to survive genocide.

And President Biden just halted their funding.

Tell Congress: Stop defunding UNRWA NOW.

While Palestinians in Gaza face genocidal violence, the collapse of medical care, and the prospect of starvation, Biden just chose to stop funding the UN agency that serves them.

Mere hours after the International Court of Justice's announcement that Israel is plausibly committing genocide, the Israeli propaganda machine hit back with a deflective and malicious attack of UNRWA.

In many cases, Palestinians living under occupation have long relied on UNRWA for basic services. UNRWA is responsible for nearly 150 health clinics, which serve more than 9 million patients every year.¹

Right now, UNRWA facilities are providing shelter for nearly a million people in Gaza² — just under half of the total Gaza population.³

And families in Gaza, who have lost so much of what they had, are now facing a greater risk of famine and starvation.⁴

UNRWA plays a crucial role in ensuring the distribution of the little aid that does arrive in southern Gaza. Just yesterday, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) used the word "catastrophic" to describe the likely consequences of pausing UNRWA aid in this moment.⁵

We must act now. You don't cut aid during a genocide or a famine.

Please join us in calling on Congress to stop this cruel punishment of Palestinians in Gaza — and all the Palestinian refugees that UNRWA serves.

Thank you for all the work you do.

In solidarity,

Granate, Yasmine, Ishraq, and the team at MPower Change

P.S. Want to support UNRWA's critical humanitarian work in Gaza? Please donate here: unrwausa.org/donate

 

Sources:

1. "It's right to probe UNRWA's problems – yet what would replace it? Its critics have no answer," The Guardian, Jan. 31, 2024.
2. "Details Emerge on U.N. Workers Accused of Aiding Hamas Raid," NYT, Jan. 28, 2024.
3. "What is UNRWA and why are some countries suspending its funding?," Reuters, Jan. 30, 2024.  
4. "Gaza families struggle to fend off starvation as war rages on," The Washington Post, Jan. 25. 2024.
5. "WHO chief says defunding UNRWA will have 'catastrophic' consequences," Reuters, Jan. 31, 2024.

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