Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Andre Carson (7th District of INDIANA)
WASHINGTON, DC—Representative André Carson (IN-07) has introduced H.R. 9649, the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024 with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09). This bill will end the congressionally and administratively mandated pause on funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA).
The United States has historically been one of the largest financial supporters of UNRWA, which serves nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. In March of this year, the U.S. paused UNRWA funding after the Israeli government alleged that 12 agency employees had direct involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack.
Following the UN’s investigation and proactive commitments made by UNRWA toward complete accountability and reform, all countries except the U.S. have resumed their UNRWA funding, including the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Finland, Germany, Japan, and Sweden. Approximately 1.9 million people – 9 in 10 Gazans – have been displaced at least once, and an estimated 43,580 are pregnant women. UNRWA has served as the primary humanitarian aid organization operating in Gaza, and without funding, hundreds of thousands of Gaza civilians are left vulnerable. It is estimated that over 1 million Gazans will not have enough food this month, and availability of basic hygiene items has dropped to 15%. In addition to a polio outbreak, Gazans are suffering from malnutrition and treatable diseases due to “systematic dismantling of healthcare”from bombardments on civilians.
“The scale of this devastating, man-made crisis in Gaza cannot be overstated,” said Congressman Carson. “Providing humanitarian aid to a starving nation – with funding Congress has appropriated year after year – should not be controversial. I urge my colleagues who care about basic human rights, the rights of pregnant women, and the wellbeing of innocent children to join our bill. UNRWA has taken appropriate and proactive steps towards accountability and transparency, conducting multiple independent reviews that continue to prove the organization is both in compliance and imperative to provide the region with lifesaving assistance. It’s past time we restore funding and save lives.”
“UNRWA has played a unique and integral role in supporting the welfare of Palestinian refugees for decades. Their on-the-ground understanding is invaluable to ensure that humanitarian aid makes it to the people who need it most — in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and critically in this moment in Gaza,” said Congresswoman Jayapal. “There is no question in my mind that revoking funding for UNRWA will lead to more devastation and loss of life in Gaza. We must ensure that those acting in good faith to save civilian lives are not undermined by a lack of US funding.”
“For decades, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been a lifeline for Palestinians, providing food, clean water, healthcare, shelter, education, and livelihoods. Today, UNRWA remains the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza as it endures ongoing war and a dire humanitarian crisis. UNRWA and the United Nations have taken swift and decisive actions to address the concerns raised by the U.S. government when it paused funding in January and our allies have all resumed funding for UNRWA. The U.S. must follow suit and resume funding for this critical humanitarian agency,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky. “I am proud to co-lead the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act to restore funding to UNRWA and help Gazans get the humanitarian assistance they need at a time of unprecedented crisis.”
“J Street is proud to be supporting the UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act of 2024 introduced by Representatives Carson, Jayapal, and Schakowsky. We should restore funding, as all our major allies have, and stop playing politics with Palestinian welfare and Israel’s security,” said J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. “As UNRWA’s largest donor and Israel’s key security guarantor, the United States has a special obligation to address this crisis.”
“Gaza isn’t starving. It’s being starved,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. “Over two million Palestinian civilians are enduring a man-made humanitarian catastrophe, with famine and disease spreading due to blocked aid access. Meanwhile, the Biden administration and Congress continue to withhold all U.S. funding for the largest aid operation in Gaza—the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA is the backbone of aid delivery in Gaza, ensuring that millions receive desperately needed assistance. Blocking U.S. funding for UNRWA’s critical work is a cruel and unjustified decision that only deepens Gaza’s humanitarian suffering. Congress and the Administration must act swiftly to correct this wrong by supporting the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act and restoring this urgently needed aid.”
“Restoring funding to UNRWA is a humanitarian imperative,” said Sharif Aly, President of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). “For over six decades, the United States has been one of the strongest supporters of UNRWA, which provides lifesaving aid and social services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. Those services are desperately needed in Gaza right now, and UNRWA is the only organization with the capacity and expertise necessary to provide them at scale. The United States must uphold its commitment to the human rights of the Palestinian people and pass this legislation to reinstate funding to the humanitarian agency immediately. Failing to do so would lead to further human suffering.”
“In restoring funding for food, water, shelter, and medical care for Palestine refugees, the UNRWA Restoration Act honors this most basic and inalienable truth — that the people of Palestine are human beings, just like all of us, and all lives are sacred, not just some,” said Mara Kronenfeld, Executive Director UNRWA USA.
“UNRWA is indispensable to providing Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria with the education, healthcare, and other critical services that are key to successful, productive livelihoods and citizenry, and a future of peace and prosperity, which should be in everyone’s interests. We support full restoration of funding to UNRWA,” said Sean Carroll, President and CEO of Anera.
“We express our gratitude to Representatives André Carson, Pramila Jayapal, and Jan Schakowsky for introducing the UNRWA Emergency Restoration Act of 2024,” said James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute. “This lifesaving legislation aims to restore critical U.S. financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) by repealing previous funding restrictions and encouraging the Secretary of State to lift the temporary pause on federal funding. UNRWA plays a vital role in providing essential services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The ongoing genocide in Gaza has resulted in increased displacement, starvation, and death. It is both inhumane and unconscionable to continue withholding financial support from UNRWA. We recognize that the majority of Americans are horrified by the death and destruction they witness daily in Gaza and the West Bank. UNRWA’s humanitarian aid and services often mean the difference between life and death for these vulnerable populations. Restoring U.S. funding to UNRWA is urgent, just, and the only morally responsible option. We urge lawmakers to prioritize the passage of this crucial legislation and ensure that UNRWA can continue to provide life-saving assistance to Palestinian refugees in the region.”
The UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024 has been endorsed by the following organizations as of 9/19/24:
| 18 Million Rising |
| Action Against Hunger |
| Action Corps |
| ActionAid USA |
| AFSC, American Friends Service Committee |
| American Baptist Churches USA |
| American Friends of Combatants for Peace |
| American Friends Service Committee |
| American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) |
| Americans for Justice in Palestine Action |
| Americans for Peace Now |
| Anera |
| Avaaz |
| Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) |
| Carolina Peace Center |
| Center for American Progress |
| Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) |
| Center for Constitutional Rights |
| Center for Gender & Refugee Studies |
| Center for International Policy |
| Center for Jewish Nonviolence |
| Center for Security, Race and Rights |
| Center for Victims of Torture |
| Charity&Security Network |
| Christian Aid |
| Church World Service |
| Climate Refugees |
| Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) |
| CODEPINK |
| CommonDefense.us |
| Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces |
| Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) |
| Danish Refugee Council |
| DAWN |
| Demand Progress |
| Doctors Against Genocide |
| Emgage Action |
| FCNL |
| Foreign Policy for America |
| Friends of Sabeel North America |
| Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ |
| Health Advocacy International |
| Hindus for Human Rights |
| Historians for Peace and Democrcy |
| Human Rights First |
| Human Rights First |
| Humanity & Inclusion |
| IfNotNow Movement |
| International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) |
| International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) |
| International Rescue Committee |
| Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |
| J Street |
| Jewish Voice for Peace Action |
| KinderUSA |
| MADRE |
| Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns |
| Middle East Children’s Alliance |
| Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC) |
| Migrant Roots Media |
| MoveOn |
| MPower Change Action Fund |
| Muslim Advocates |
| National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd |
| National Council of Churches |
| National Iranian American Council Action |
| National Partnership for New Americans |
| Nonviolent Peaceforce |
| Norwegian Peoples aid |
| Norwegian Refugee Council USA |
| Oxfam |
| Partners for Progressive Israel |
| Pax Christi USA |
| Peace Action |
| People’s Action |
| Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness |
| Progressive Democrats of America |
| Project HOPE |
| Project South |
| Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft |
| Rebuilding Alliance |
| Refugee Congress |
| Refugees International |
| ReThinking Foreign Policy |
| RootsAction.org |
| Save the Children US |
| Save the Children US |
| Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team |
| Terre des hommes – Lausanne |
| The Episcopal Church |
| The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) |
| The United Church of Christ |
| UNRWA USA National Committee |
| US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action (USCPR Action) |
| Veterans For Peace, Chapter #63 (Albuquerque) |
| War Child Alliance |
| We Are All America (WAAA) |
| Welcoming America |
| Win Without War |
| Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, US |
| Working Families Party |
| Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation |
| ACCESS of WNY |
| Al Otro Lado (CA and Tijuana) |
| Atlanta Multifaith Coalition for Palestine |
| CAIR-Ohio |
| Christian Jewish Allies for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine |
| Church Women United in New York State |
| Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York chapter (CAIR-NY) |
| Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Washington DC |
| Jewish Voice for Peace Albuquerque |
| Minnesota Peace Project |
| Muslim Justice League (MA) |
| New York Progressive Action Network |
| Oasis Legal Services (CA) |
| OnceAForest.org (NM) |
| Peace Action WI |
| Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW! |
| Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area |
| Veterans For Peace – Santa Fe NM Chapter |
| Muslims United PAC (MUPAC) |
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