Palestinian officials slam UNRWA ban in Gaza as 'politically motivated'

Palestinian Authority officials have strongly rejected the announcement by President Donald Trump's Board of Peace to end the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees' (UNRWA) role in the 'new Gaza.' They described the move as politically motivated, heavily influenced by Israeli interests, and aimed at destroying the Palestinian cause.

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Nobody can simply decide to cancel the role of UNRWA. The agency's mandate is rooted in International law and cannot be revoked unilaterally.

"Nobody can simply decide to cancel the role of UNRWA," stated a Palestinian official, who is also a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee. "The agency's mandate is rooted in International law and cannot be revoked unilaterally." This official expressed hope that Trump would reconsider and reverse the decision to exclude UNRWA. Palestinian sources indicated that contacts are underway with "the parties concerned" to preserve UNRWA's function.

The Board of Peace had stated, "UNRWA has no place in the new Gaza," adding, "we are turning the page on the complex of perpetual aid dependency & conflict. The people of Gaza deserve more." However, Palestinian officials countered that UNRWA and the issue of Palestinian refugees are political matters at the core of the Palestinian cause, rejecting Israeli attempts to frame it solely as a humanitarian issue. "Israel is targeting UNRWA as part of its attempts to undermine the broader Palestinian cause, and we will fight that," one official asserted.

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UNRWA has no place in the new Gaza. we are turning the page on the complex of perpetual aid dependency & conflict. The people of Gaza deserve more.

Another senior Palestinian official claimed that while Trump issued the decision as head of the Board of Peace, it was undeniably influenced by Israelis, particularly the right-wing. "There is no acceptance of this by the Europeans or the international community," he said, calling the decision "nonsense." He argued that if the Board of Peace implements this stance, it will lose credibility, stating, "This is what the Israelis want, to strip the Palestinians of any political rights."

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Israel is targeting UNRWA as part of its attempts to undermine the broader Palestinian cause, and we will fight that.

Officials emphasized that as long as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains unresolved, there can be no change to UNRWA's mandate. "Israel wants to evade the core issues of the conflict," one official stated. "They (the Israelis) seek to dismiss us and avoid dealing with the root causes of the conflict by eliminating the two-state solution through their expansionist policies in the West Bank, supporting further Palestinian division, and now by targeting UNRWA."

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This is what the Israelis want- to strip the Palestinians of any political rights.