Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil condemned Monday the U.S.’s decision to end funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
His statement emphasized the position taken by Lebanon Sunday in denouncing the U.S. decision as an attempt to deny Palestinians their right of return.
Earlier in the day, Bassil had met with ambassadors of UNRWA host and donor nations. In televised remarks afterward, he reiterated Lebanon’s rejection of the decision. “Lebanon does not accept the ending of UNRWA’s role,” he said. He also asked the ambassadors to inform their governments of the gravity of the situation.
On Friday, the United States announced its decision to cut $300 million in aid to the U.N. organization. The U.S. previously supplied nearly 30 percent of UNRWA’s budget, which in 2017 amounted to $364.3 million.
In an official statement, the U.S. called the agency an “irredeemably flawed operation” and said the country was no longer willing to pay for a “very disproportionate share” of UNRWA’s costs, criticizing what it called the agency’s “fundamental business model and fiscal practices.”
In his televised remarks, Bassil said he had requested that the donor nations continue and even increase their funding to UNRWA. He said he had received support from the ambassadors, who in turn stressed the importance of increasing the funds.
Bassil’s meeting with the ambassadors came after Speaker Nabih Berri had earlier in the day called for a meeting by the Arab League with the intention of garnering funds for UNRWA, according to a statement from Parliament.