UN rejects Washington’s call to dismantle agency for Palestinians

The head of the United Nations organization for Palestinian refugees on Thursday rejected a US call to dismantle the agency. UNRWA’s Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl rebuffed the criticism from US envoy Jason Greenblatt during a visit to the Gaza Strip, AFP reported.

“I unreservedly reject the accompanying narrative that suggests that somehow UNRWA is to blame for the continuation of the refugee-hood of Palestine refugees, of their growing numbers and their growing needs,” he said.

“The fact that UNRWA still exists today is an illustration of the failure of the parties and the international community to resolve the issue politically,” he said in Gaza City.

Washington last year froze its roughly $300 million annual donation to UNRWA.