“Cutting U.S. aid to a UN agency headed by a Swiss commissioner which provides education, health and social services to Palestinian refugees is not a formula for peace nor does it reflect American values,” states Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist and former professor at Princeton University.
Last week, The Washington Post reports that the Trump Administration made a statement to end all of U.S. foreign aids to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The UNRWA was created in 1949 to provide basic humanitarian needs for Palestinian refugees after the creation of Israel. The U.S. aid suspension has sent out the message: “submit or starve” to the Palestinian refugees who are in dire needs of humanitarian supports. By ending the aid, the U.S. put hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in a deeper devastating situation, cutting off children and youths’ access to education and families from receiving economic and social supports.
Also, according to The Brussels Time, the Belgium government has decided to stop its educational funds to support the construction of a local Palestinian school. The Belgium government claims the school named after a Palestinian terrorist, Dalal Mughrabi, after failing to negotiate for the name changed with the Palestinian National Authority. However, the Belgium government will continue to provide aids for the UNRWA’s missions.
The consequence of the U.S. and Belgium ending their aids goes beyond the political spectrum that further intensify the Israeli-Palestinian long-standing conflict. Interestingly, Belgium only stopped its funding for a local school and still support the UNRWA’s missions, whereas the U.S. completely stop its aids that would cause larger damages to the Palestinian refugees, politically, economically, and socially. In relation to educational development, the suspension of aids has gravely affected the Palestinian education system because education is an important development factor for stabilization. Without sustainable educational funding, school services would be disrupted: the number of classroom teachers would be reduced, Palestinian children would receive less educational opportunities, classrooms sizes would be overcrowded, and schools’ facilities might not be adequate to teach or provide necessary educational materials to all the children. The suspension of funding would place Palestinian children to live in an ineffective learning environment and that would cause more stresses or social disorders. Children who live in a conflict area are the most disadvantage in term of receiving adequate education, and this situation could lead to a lost generation of illiterates.
This situation reflects the power and abilities of funders to shape international organizations as well as local governments’ political, economical, and educational structures. Despite the obvious political tensions, people need to pay more attention to other subtle issues such as education and social discussions that affected the local people significantly.
While the U.S. is using foreign aids to leverage its political power, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is optimistic and confident in the continual support of UNRWA. According to Ma’An News Agency, Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Executive Committee, praised the UNRWA for stabilizing internal conflicts and continue to seek out other external funders. The U.S. suspension of aids will impact the UNWRA greatly, but there are many foreign countries that are willing to contribute to the UNWRA in order to provide basic humanitarian needs and educational materials for the Palestinian refugees. Education is a critical factor in an emergency environment because schools will become a safe space for children to grow, learn, and understand of what is going on around them critically. After all, education needs to be considered within the political context to understand the overall effect on the people and the society as a whole.
By: Xiong
References:
Ashrawi applauds UNRWA’s commitment to Palestinian refugees. (2018, September 14). Ma’an News Agency. Retrieved from http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=781058
Erakat, N. (2018, September 13). Trump administration tells Palestinian refugees to submit or starve. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2018/09/13/trump-administration-tells-palestinian-refugees-to-submit-or-starve/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d815fdb8d4e7
Kuttab, D. (2018, September 13). U.S. decision to cut UN aid to Palestinians is not a formula for Peace. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-us-decision-to-cut-un-aid-to-palestinians-is-not-a-formula-for-peace/
Sanchez, A. (2018, September 14). Belgium suspends support for Palestinian schools. The Brussels Times. Retrieved from http://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/12532/belgium-suspends-support-for-palestinian-schools
Learning for Tomorrow : Education in Emergencies 
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