Washington D.C., Jan 26, 2018 / 16:20 pm
Catholic aid leaders and others have requested that the White House reconsider its decision to withhold $65 million designated for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Leaders of 21 global aid groups, including Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Services/USA, signed a Jan. 24 letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other U.S. leaders, expressing concern that cuts in humanitarian aid will have "dire consequences" on emergency food and medical aid in the region.
"We are deeply concerned by the humanitarian consequences of this decision on life-sustaining assistance to children, women and men in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank and Gaza Strip," reads the letter, posted online by the Palestine News Agency.
Giulia McPherson, Interim Executive Director of Jesuit Refugee Services told CNA, "As a UN partner that also serves Palestinian refugees through some of our programming, we felt compelled to join this effort."