Since its formation nearly 70 years ago, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been a vital safety net for Palestinian refugees forced from their homes by Israel’s creation and their descendants. Today it provides education, healthcare and social services to more than five million Palestinians.
Yet the administration of US President Donald Trump on Friday decided to cut more than $200 million in funding to the agency, a move that could cost lives and livelihoods. Those in need of urgent healthcare might be denied it; schools could be forced to shut. Despite its ceaseless work, the agency is already short of funds. Earlier this year, 100 employees were laid off in Gaza alone.
It is not hard to see why the US administration would attempt to cripple the body, which advocates a right to return for Palestinian refugees, because any agency that provides a voice for Palestinians is a threat to its powerful Israeli lobby. When announcing the cuts in favour of "high priority projects elsewhere", the US State Department claimed it was made on the basis of "Hamas control" endangering "the lives of Gaza's citizens".
Such an assertion should be seen for what it is: a cynical attempt to influence public opinion when the reality on the ground is the continued brutalisation and victimisation of Palestinians at the hands of their Israeli oppressors, which the UNRWA tries relentlessly to combat by providing hope and opportunity in the face of despair.
Cutting its funding should also be seen for exactly what it is: punishment for Palestinians for refusing to give up their right to East Jerusalem as a capital.
It is intended to blackmail them into accepting the as-yet-opaque peace plan Jared Kushner, Mr Trump's son-in-law, is cooking up with his fellow Middle East representative Jason Greenblatt. Judging by the unilateral way the US embassy move to Jerusalem was carried out, effectively recognising it as the capital of Israel, it is unlikely to have the welfare of Palestinians at its heart.
Indeed Hanan Ashrawi, of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, has already branded the move "cheap blackmail" while UNRWA chief Pierre Kraehenbuehl said it would punish those most in need.
If there is any vestige of doubt that the US is conspiring with Israel to dismantle hopes of Palestinian statehood, it should dissipate entirely. The cut to funding is reprehensible. More than 170 Palestinian protesters have been killed in the last five months, including medics and journalists.
But beyond the loss of life, humanitarian organisations cannot be used as political tools. When conflict and occupation prevent governments from providing for their citizens, agencies such as UNRWA deliver a vital service. In few places is that role more important than in Gaza and the West Bank, where millions live in deprivation. As Mr Kraehenbuehl stated: “You cannot simply wish five million people away.”
For the Palestinian people, the funding cuts are merely the latest in a long list of moves by the US and its Israeli ally that push hopes of statehood further out of reach.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final