In December, the government decided to discontinue aid to Unrwa, the UN's aid organization for Palestinian refugees.
The government claims that Israel prevents the UN agency from operating in Gaza, and that it is therefore better for the money to go through other aid organizations.
We want an invitation
Unrwa chief Philippe Lazzarini calls this "empty excuses" in an interview with DN. He describes it as "a political decision that we regret".
Lazzarini now hopes for an invitation to Stockholm from either Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) or Development Minister Benjamin Dousa (M).
Sweden has been a long-standing and reliable partner for Unrwa, both politically and financially, and this has given us a great flexibility. The decision to suddenly stop supporting us came as a big surprise and has had a very negative effect, he says.
Dousa KU-anmäld
According to him, the operations are ongoing in both Gaza and the West Bank.
We are the only organization that delivers basic services inside Gaza with 12,000 employees on site. We have health centers open, sanitation in refugee camps to prevent diseases, water distribution and other things.
The opposition has demanded that support for Unrwa be resumed. Both S and V have also KU-anmalted Benjamin Dousa and accuse the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of having stopped a payment of 30 million kronor via Sida.
Of the former donors, only Sweden and the USA have not resumed support for Unrwa.
Unrwa, the UN's aid organization for Palestinian refugees, was founded after the war that broke out in connection with Israel's establishment in 1948, with the purpose of helping the over 750,000 Palestinians who were then forced to flee.
Nearly 90 percent of the donations have come from UN member states. The largest support has come from the USA, Germany, the EU, Sweden, and Norway.
Over half of Unrwa's budget has gone to education. Around 15 percent has gone to health-promoting measures, according to figures from 2020.
Israel has long claimed that Unrwa is infiltrated by extremists from Hamas, with allegations that a significant part of the approximately 13,000 employees in Gaza have had such ties. A UN investigation found that nine employees may have been involved in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The nine have been fired.
