{"id":589232,"date":"2023-08-31T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/stop-playing-politics-with-palestinian-lives\/"},"modified":"2023-08-31T01:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T22:00:00","slug":"stop-playing-politics-with-palestinian-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/stop-playing-politics-with-palestinian-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"#Stop playing politics with Palestinian lives\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/palestinian_refugees_gaza_062623_Getty.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>One wouldn\u2019t know it from the headlines, but the next violent eruption in the Gaza S<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a> may be just around the corner. As most of Washington remains mired in its traditional August doldrums, yet another a potential crisis is brewing in the already isolated and impoverished Gaza Strip. For the past several months, $75 million in badly needed food assistance for Palestinians has been held up in Congress, not because of any bureaucratic or logistical impediments but for purely political reasons. Moreover, if the Biden administration does not act by the end of August, it will likely lead to a further deterioration in the already dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza \u2014 with potentially serious security implications for Jordan, Egypt and Israel. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In its foreign aid <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ropriation FY2023, Congress directed the State Department to provide an additional $75 million to UNRWA, the UN agency that provides basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees, specifically for additional food assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. Kudos to Congress for recognizing the impact to Palestine refugees of the rising prices humanitarian agencies like UNRWA are confronting as a result of the war in Ukraine. Despite waiting five months, in early May, the State Department finally notified Congress of its intent to obligate the funds. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>More than three months later, however, those funds are still being held up in Congress\u2014not by any committee or political party but by a single, solitary lawmaker: Idaho Sen. James Risch. As the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Risch\u00a0has placed an indefinite hold on the money\u2019s transfer to UNRWA. To be clear, the senator\u2019s ability to put a \u201chold\u201d on the funds has no legal authority but rather is a courtesy extended by the executive branch to the legislative branch. It does not supersede the legal obligation to release the funds as per Congress\u2019s appropriation. In other words, the Biden administration could simply ignore the hold if it chose to do so. In the meantime, both sides continue to play politics with Palestinian lives.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For his part, Risch has\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/press\/rep\/release\/risch-leads-effort-to-cut-us-funds-to-anti-semitic-unrwa\">said<\/a>\u00a0that he will not release the funds until he receives assurances from the Biden administration that UNRWA is not aiding Palestinian militants or promoting antisemitism. However, these and other conditions are already requirements UNRWA must abide by in its\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/2021-2022-u-s-unrwa-framework-for-cooperation\/\">framework agreement<\/a>\u00a0with the State Department. In other words, Risch is holding up essential food aid over things the State Department has already certified are happening.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This is not the first time Risch has held up humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. In 2021, the senator placed a similar hold on $75 million in aid before\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/top-republican-releases-remaining-palestinian-aid-he-held-up-for-months\/\">eventually relenting<\/a>\u00a0to pressure from the administration and congressional Democrats. Moreover, Risch\u2019s beef with UNRWA has deep political, if not ideological, roots. Indeed, Risch\u2019s record suggests he is less interested in reforming UNRWA than in dismantling it while doing away with the issue of Palestinian refugees altogether. For example, Risch has introduced\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/02-15-23_unrwa_accountability_bill.pdf\">legislation<\/a>\u00a0aimed at defunding UNRWA as well as at redefining who may qualify as a Palestinian refugee by limiting its definition only to those who fled their homes in 1948 while explicitly excluding their children and other descendants.\u00a0Even though refugees the world over have the same ability\u00a0to pass on their refugee status to subsequent generations,\u00a0Risch is in effect attempting to define the bulk of Palestinian refugees out of existence.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The stakes are exceedingly high. International aid has been essential for Gaza\u2019s population and its stability. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unrwausa.org\/unrwa-usa-press-releases\/unrwa-usa-and-palestinian-americans-request-meeting-with-sen-james-risch-and-rep-michael-mccaul-to-discuss-their-hold-on-food-assistance-for-refugees#:~:text=Three%20out%20of%20four%20people,a%20severe%20lack%20of%20funds.\">Three out of four Palestinians in Gaza rely on food assistance<\/a> from UNRWA and the World Food Program (WFP), while 40 percent of people in Gaza are severely food insecure. Moreover, the WFP recently announced that funding cuts require it to\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/palestinians-food-hunger-un-wfp-jenin-israel-bf65a2c6d8965655aa74056fd82388f5\">eliminate food assistance<\/a>\u00a0for 200,000 people in Gaza, or 60 percent of its beneficiaries in there. The United Nations five years ago predicted Gaza would be\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2020\/01\/01\/un-predicted-gaza-would-be-uninhabitable-by-heres-what-that-actually-means\/\">\u201cuninhabitable\u201d<\/a> by 2020. A further reduction in food aid would only compound Gaza\u2019s misery as well as fuel further violence and instability.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of how one feels about UNRWA or who does or does not qualify as a refugee, denying thousands of already destitute families of vital food aid for purely political reasons seems unnecessarily cruel as well as reckless.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite appeals from the State Department, UNRWA and several Arab governments, Risch shows no sign of budging. \u201cThe administration has all the authority they need to provide emergency food assistance to UNRWA,\u201d\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/congress-hosts-israeli-leader-republicans-123008742.html\">observed<\/a>\u00a0a spokesperson for the senator, adding that Risch \u201cwill continue to hold them until his long-term concern about UNRWA are addressed.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>On this, at least, Risch is correct. Biden does indeed have the authority he needs to disburse the funds over Risch\u2019s objections. But this will require taking a stand and expending at least some political capital on an issue\u2014the Palestinians\u2014that has not been a political priority for the administration thus far. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, time is running out. Failure to release the funds by Sept. 1 would set off a chain reaction of negative consequences, including a break in the Gaza food pipeline and the potential inability to pay salaries to UNRWA\u2019s 28,000 education, health care and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> services staff. In the event the funds are released after Sept. 1, UNRWA officials estimate it would take two to three months to restart its food program. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/secretary-antony-j-blinken-after-the-un-security-council-open-debate-on-famine-and-conflict-induced-global-food-insecurity\/\">spoke movingly<\/a>\u00a0in New York about the increasing use of food aid, \u201cas a weapon of war, for leverage, for political purposes in conflict after conflict.\u201d Whether the administration will have the courage to practice what it preaches remains to be seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The question now is whether the president will do the right thing and direct the funds to be disbursed anyway or simply cave to the whims of a single U.S. senator and his personal crusade against UNRWA. It\u2019s hard to imagine this administration backing up any of its tough talk \u2014 say, with China or other adversaries \u2014 when it is reluctant to override the prerogatives of a single senator to block funding that has already been approved by both Congress and the administration. If nothing else, U.S. politicians should stop playing politics with Palestinian lives. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Khaled Elgindy is<\/em><em> s<\/em><em>enior fellow and director of the Program on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/congress-blog\/4179971-stop-playing-politics-with-palestinian-lives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One wouldn\u2019t know it from the headlines, but the next violent eruption in the Gaza Strip may be just around the corner. As most of Washington remains mired in its traditional August doldrums, yet another a potential crisis is brewing in the already isolated and impoverished Gaza Strip. For the past several months, $75 million&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":589233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/palestinian_refugees_gaza_062623_Getty.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[139252,134343,134418,134353,134661,134420,145419,115916,145420,143973,991,88571,145421],"class_list":["post-589232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-business-economy","tag-campaign","tag-congress-blog","tag-court-battles","tag-energy-environment","tag-equilibrium-sustainability","tag-food-assistance","tag-food-insecurity","tag-gaza","tag-james-risch","tag-joe-biden","tag-newsletters","tag-unrwa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=589232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/589233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=589232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=589232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=589232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}