Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Norway calls on donors to resume aid to UN agency for Palestinians

Norway, which heads the group of donors for Palestine (AHLC), on Tuesday urged donors to resume their aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA.

Published: 24 April 2024 10:15 CEST

Pictured is a file photo of Espen Barth Eide

Norway has called on other countries to unfreeze donations to the UNWRA. Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (R) (Photo by Genya Savilov / AFP).

The call came the day after an independent review group said that while it had found some “neutrality-related issues” in its much-anticipated report on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, it noted that “Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence” for its claim that UNRWA employs more than 400 “terrorists.”

“I am very pleased that countries like Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan and Sweden have already reversed their decisions and resumed funding to UNRWA,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

“I would now like to call on countries that have still frozen their contributions to UNRWA to resume funding,” he said.

Norway is one of the few major donors that maintained its funding to UNRWA despite allegations by Israel in January that some UNRWA staff may have participated in the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

In the weeks that followed the allegations, numerous donor states suspended or paused some $450 million in funding.

According to the Hamas health ministry, more than 34,000 people have been killed since the beginning of Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza, whose population is now at risk of famine.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Norway's PM says country is ready to recognise a Palestinian state

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told reporters that such a decision would need to be taken in close coordination with “like-minded countries”.

“Norway stands ready to recognise the state of Palestine,” Støre told a joint press conference with Sanchez.

“We have not set a firm timetable,” Støre added.

In November, Norway’s parliament adopted a government proposal for the country to be prepared to recognise an independent Palestinian state.

Norway also hosted Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at the beginning of the 1990s, which led to the Oslo Accords.

Sanchez is currently on a tour of Poland, Norway and Ireland this week to drum up support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, according to a Spanish government spokesperson.

Speaking alongside Støre, Sanchez said Spain was “committed to recognising Palestine as a state, as soon as possible, when the conditions are appropriate, and in a way that can have the most positive impact to the peace process.”

On March 22nd, Spain issued a statement with Ireland, Malta and Slovenia on the sidelines of an EU leaders summit, saying they were “ready to recognise Palestine” in a move that would happen when “the circumstances are right”.

Last week, Sanchez told reporters travelling with him on his Middle East tour that he hoped it would happen by the end of June.

Støre on Friday said that he welcomed Sanchez’s initiative to consult among countries to “strengthen coordination”.

“We will intensify that coordination in the weeks to come,” Støre said.

The Spanish leader has repeatedly angered Israel with his outspoken comments since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

The war in the Gaza Strip erupted after Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,634 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

SHOW COMMENTS

Url copied to clipboard!