© 2025 Palestine Center for Public Policy
This policy brief explores Biden's decision to pause funding to UNRWA, the continuation of this policy under Trump, and their implications for Palestinian society, highlighting the broader goal of replacing the agency.
On January 26, 2024, the Biden administration officially suspended all funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) following accusations from the Israeli occupation that 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7, 2023 operation. On that date, Hamas’s armed wing launched the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, where fighters broke through the borders of besieged Gaza and captured Israeli military points and settlements in the Gaza envelope. The Israeli occupation responded with an intensive military assault on Gaza, purportedly aimed at eliminating Hamas. However, this objective was not met, and the operation instead escalated into a broader campaign of collective punishment, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, severely impacting Palestinian society.
On January 30, 2025, the Israeli occupation further restricted UNRWA's operations by banning the agency from working within Israel, including East Jerusalem, which was illegally annexed in 1980. The Israeli Knesset also passed legislation preventing government officials from engaging with UNRWA. In parallel, on February 4, the Trump administration extended the ban on financial support to UNRWA, solidifying its stance against the agency.
This policy brief examines the coordinated efforts by the United States and Israel to curtail UNRWA’s operations, emphasizing their shared goal of undermining the agency’s mandate. It explores the broader implications of this strategy, including its potential to limit the Palestinian Right of Return and national education, and the pursuit of alternative mechanisms to replace UNRWA’s role in Palestinian society.
UNRWA was established in 1949 through United Nations (UN) Resolution 302 in response to the Nakba of 1948, during which Zionist militias depopulated Palestinian villages and forcibly displaced approximately 750,000 Palestinians. The agency's primary mandate includes managing Palestinian refugee camps, overseeing the education of hundreds of thousands of students, and providing essential humanitarian services to Palestinian refugees. Today, UNRWA operates in five areas: Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, offering services to millions of Palestinian refugees. The majority of UNRWA’s funding is directed toward education, with its schools serving as the primary educational institution for Palestinian refugees, utilizing the national curricula of the host countries. Additionally, UNRWA provides primary healthcare, social services such as microfinance, and works to improve camp infrastructure. The agency has been critical in delivering emergency aid, particularly during Israel's recurrent violent military operations.
For decades, Israel has attempted to undermine UNRWA's efforts, particularly focusing on scrutinizing the educational materials used in the agency's schools. Israel has routinely blocked educational materials from entering Gaza and sought to demonize Palestinian educational content in an effort to pressure donor nations. For instance, several countries have conditioned or paused aid to UNRWA, demanding changes to content deemed inconsistent with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) standards, based on claims from the Israeli NGO Impact-SE. This scrutiny persists despite the fact that UNRWA uses the textbooks provided by the host nations, not its own materials. Under pressure, UNRWA has even influenced the Palestinian Authority (PA) to remove certain topics and lessons from textbooks to ensure the continuation of funding. This pattern reflects broader trends of donor countries exerting influence over the Palestinian education system.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has escalated its violence against Gaza, which has been described by The Lancet as a genocidal campaign, with an estimated death toll exceeding 186,000, accompanied by a high rate of indirect deaths. This violence has also impacted humanitarian workers, with over 270 UNRWA staff members killed by Israeli forces, making 2023 one of the deadliest years on record for aid workers. In addition, Israel has bombed 70% of UNRWA’s schools, many of which were used as shelters by displaced Palestinians, as the majority of Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable due to Israel's ongoing military operations.
On January 26, 2024, as previously noted, the Biden administration paused aid to UNRWA in response to Israeli accusations that UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7 attacks. These accusations have been widely discredited, with evidence suggesting they were either baseless or derived from coerced confessions from detained UNRWA staff, who were reportedly subjected to torture by Israeli authorities. On March 23, 2024, the U.S. Congress passed a $1.2 trillion budget that did not include funding for UNRWA, leaving the issue of its funding unresolved until 2025. As of now, the only two countries that have not resumed funding to UNRWA after the initial pause are the United States and Sweden.
Within the U.S., several policymakers from both major political parties have publicly advocated for defunding UNRWA, often labeling it as an antisemitic organization. For instance, Senator John Fetterman, a prominent pro-Israel Democrat, has described UNRWA as “infiltrated by Hamas.” Republican Senator Ted Cruz has called for the Department of Justice to investigate UNRWA USA for alleged links to Hamas. These statements reflect a broader political climate that aligns with Zionist rhetoric and mirrors a McCarthyist-style atmosphere surrounding the debate on funding UNRWA.
This atmosphere was further exacerbated by the Trump administration, which took immediate and inflammatory actions upon entering office. During a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, President Trump signed an executive order that fully suspended U.S. funding to UNRWA. The executive order justified this action by alleging that “UNRWA has reportedly been infiltrated by members of groups long designated by the Secretary of State as foreign terrorist organizations” and that UNRWA employees were implicated in the October 7 Hamas attacks. The order also criticized the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and UNESCO for their failure to address human rights abuses and for being perceived as anti-Israel. Trump's rhetoric not only demonized UNRWA but also reinforced broader criticism of UN human rights bodies that have been critical of Israeli policies. On the same day, Trump made controversial statements suggesting U.S. involvement in "taking over" Gaza, a remark that implied plans for the ethnic cleansing and colonization of Palestinians in Gaza, further undermining the essential role of UNRWA in providing vital services to Palestinian refugees.
The implications of the U.S. policy toward UNRWA have been evident since the Biden administration paused U.S. funding, and these consequences are likely to persist throughout the Trump administration. In 2023, the U.S. was the largest donor to UNRWA, contributing over $150 million. The suspension of these funds has severely hindered UNRWA’s operational capacity, particularly its ability to provide emergency assistance prior to the ceasefire implemented on January 19, 2025. UNRWA’s financial situation is now described as rapidly deteriorating, further complicating its ability to meet the needs of Palestinian refugees.
Compounding this financial crisis, the Israeli Knesset’s expulsion of UNRWA staff from its East Jerusalem office threatens to undermine the agency’s operations, despite the continuation of services in Gaza as long as the ceasefire holds. Both the U.S. and Israel appear to be pursuing strategies to isolate UNRWA completely, a move that could lead to the collapse of services that millions of Palestinian refugees rely on for basic health, education, and humanitarian support.
The potential collapse of UNRWA would have catastrophic consequences. The services it provides are deeply integrated into Palestinian society and are essential for the well-being of refugees. Any alternative efforts to replace or fill the gap left by UNRWA’s collapse would likely be ineffective. Moreover, the Trump administration’s inflammatory rhetoric against the UN raises significant concerns about the future of U.S.-funded programs within international institutions. By withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and similarly targeting UN agencies, the U.S. risks undermining international efforts to hold Israel accountable for its actions, potentially preventing the Zionist occupation from being held to international standards.
Furthermore, the pause in U.S. funding to UNRWA violates the U.S.'s international obligations under the principle of preventing genocide. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an interim ruling requiring Israel to take immediate measures to provide essential services and humanitarian assistance in Gaza, a directive that has been largely ignored. By halting funding to UNRWA following this ruling, the U.S. is in clear disregard of international law and its obligations under the Geneva Conventions to prevent genocide. This mirrors a prior case where Nicaragua alleged that Germany violated the Geneva Conventions by halting funding to UNRWA. Despite potential legal repercussions, the U.S. continues to flout international obligations and confront international institutions that criticize Israeli actions in Palestine.
UNRWA's educational operations in Gaza and the West Bank encompass over 380 schools, serving more than 350,000 students across both regions. In East Jerusalem, students face significant challenges due to the potential closure of UNRWA schools, which would force them to attend overcrowded Palestinian Authority (PA) schools or costly private institutions. In Qalandia, located in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli occupation forces stormed a UNRWA elementary school, forcibly evicting students and demanding its immediate closure in line with the Knesset's anti-UNRWA legislation. The potential dismantling of UNRWA's educational infrastructure would leave hundreds of thousands of students without adequate alternatives, placing immense pressure on the Palestinian education system and potentially leading to its collapse.
In addition to its educational services, UNRWA plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian relief, particularly during times of crisis. Since the implementation of the ceasefire, UNRWA has facilitated 60% of the aid entering Gaza, with a dedicated workforce of 5,000 staff members responsible for the distribution of essential relief. UNRWA's consistent delivery of services—both during periods of escalation and in more stable times—has been vital to the survival and well-being of Palestinian refugees.
For Palestinians in Gaza, especially those already grappling with severe poverty as a result of over 15 months of ongoing violence, the loss of UNRWA's relief services would have devastating consequences. The absence of educational services would prevent hundreds of thousands of students from continuing their education, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation and potentially undermining the prospects for future generations of Palestinians.
Since the U.S. paused funding to UNRWA, reports have emerged indicating that the U.S. is leading efforts within the United Nations to negotiate a replacement for the agency. A congressional report by the Congressional Research Service highlighted the possibility of supporting an alternative to UNRWA as a consideration for Congress. Additionally, Israeli media has repeatedly asserted that the U.S. is spearheading initiatives within the UN to identify a substitute for UNRWA. Some policy analysts predict that the Trump administration may seek further cuts to the budgets of other specialized UN agencies, with the aim of gradually transferring UNRWA's responsibilities to these organizations. Given the U.S. withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), it is likely that the U.S. will continue to exert pressure on the UN to reach an outcome regarding UNRWA that aligns with its political interests. As emphasized in the executive order, the Trump administration has targeted not only UNRWA but also the UNHRC and UNESCO, with the U.S. being the principal financial backer of these organizations. The leverage of U.S. financial support may compromise the integrity of these institutions if they are coerced into meeting the U.S.'s demands.
In response to these attempts to replace it, UNRWA has stated that "no other entity or UN agency currently has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA's unique mandate and experience in delivering education, health services, and relief and social services in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt)." International organizations have consistently warned that any effort to replace UNRWA would be disastrous, citing the insufficient capacity of most other NGOs and international organizations (INGOs) to provide the full range of services that UNRWA currently offers, particularly in education, health, and social services. The UN has also informed the Israeli occupation that should they pursue replacing UNRWA, the responsibility for providing these services would fall entirely upon Israel itself.
This policy reflects the troubling nature of U.S. actions in cutting funding to UNRWA, which has already severely curtailed the agency’s operations. The U.S. ban on funding, coupled with the Israeli Knesset's criminalization and vilification of UNRWA, demonstrates a concerted effort by the U.S. to dismantle the agency. UNRWA’s international mandate, particularly its role in upholding the Palestinian right of return, remains a significant challenge to efforts aimed at sidelining this right in the peace process. Any attempt to replace UNRWA thus serves not only as a practical challenge but as a political maneuver to erase international recognition of the Palestinian right of return. The ongoing accusations leveled by the Israeli occupation against UNRWA further fuel this effort, aiming to delegitimize the agency and diminish its role in supporting Palestinian refugees, whose right of return is perceived by some U.S. policymakers as an obstacle to the peace process.
In January 2024, President Biden issued an executive order to pause all U.S. funding to UNRWA, a decision that was extended by President Trump in February 2025, effectively banning all financial support to the organization. This policy was implemented under the pretext of Israeli allegations that certain UNRWA staff members were affiliated with armed factions in Gaza. Trump's funding ban coincides with a similar move by the Israeli Knesset, which has outlawed UNRWA’s operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the 1948 territories. This combination of policies significantly complicates UNRWA’s ability to maintain its operations and fulfill its mandate.
The U.S. pressure on the UN, coupled with these policy shifts, appears to be part of a broader effort to curtail UNRWA’s services while simultaneously promoting the search for an alternative to the agency. UNRWA's mandate is grounded in the principle that its services will continue until Palestinian refugees are able to return to their homes. The U.S. strategy to limit and replace UNRWA jeopardizes the well-being of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who rely on the agency’s critical services in Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestinian refugee camps across the Arab world.
1. Maintain Support for UNRWA and UNRWA USA: Continue providing financial support to UNRWA and its key supporting NGO, UNRWA USA, which plays a pivotal role in policy advocacy related to UNRWA in the United States.
2.Increase Support from Alternative Donor Countries: Other nations should enhance their contributions to UNRWA to compensate for the funding shortfall created by the U.S. suspension of financial support, ensuring that the agency can continue delivering critical services to Palestinian refugees.
3. Establish an Unconditional, Mandatory Funding Mechanism: Develop an alternative funding mechanism that guarantees mandatory and unconditional support for UNRWA. This approach would safeguard the agency from external political pressures, preventing countries with vested interests from using aid as leverage to influence UNRWA's operations.
4. Launch an International Campaign Against Israeli Disinformation: Mobilize an international campaign to counter Israeli disinformation regarding UNRWA. This should encourage independent investigations into the agency's operations, rather than relying on narratives driven by the Israeli occupation.
5. Long-Term Solution- Establish a Viable Palestinian State: For those advocating for an alternative to UNRWA, the only sustainable solution is the creation of a viable Palestinian state capable of providing for its people. This state must uphold the Palestinian right of return, allowing refugees to return to their ancestral homes and eliminating the need for UNRWA’s services for Palestinian refugees.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news, exclusive insights.
Find us or Socials or Contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
