The international press focused on the decision of some countries to suspend funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and stated that Israel pushed the United States and other countries to take this step despite significant warnings of its repercussions.
The “Washington Post” reported that Israeli intelligence urged the United States to swiftly cut off aid funding to the Gaza Strip following accusations that some UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 last year (Al-Aqsa Tempest) attack.
The American newspaper quoted officials saying that Washington did not independently verify Israel’s claims. It also commented that the evidence presented by Tel Aviv persuaded the United States and eight other donor countries to halt UNRWA funding, a decision cautioned against by other relief groups citing the endangerment of civilian safety in Gaza.
Furthermore, the “Financial Times” stated that withdrawing UNRWA’s funding could lead to its cessation of operations within weeks, stating that it is the Palestinians who will pay the price.
The British newspaper also noted that the agency has survived several previous wars and hostile relationships with various Israeli and American leaders, highlighting its unprecedented mission of sheltering and feeding hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza.
Uprising Is Not Impossible
In a related context, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh told the “New York Times” that President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are under immense pressure from the Palestinian people.
Shtayyeh stated that the Palestinians want the Authority to “do something and wage war against Israel,” adding that a third uprising “is not impossible” and that the level of Palestinian anger, accompanied by settler violence, makes the situation combustible.
He also remarked that Israel has lost its balance and that Israelis act with a spirit of revenge, killing for the sake of killing.
On the Israeli side, “Haaretz” columnist Tzvi Barel wrote that the war in Gaza is no longer about seeking revenge for the killing of 1,200 Israelis or even regaining hostages (prisoners), claiming that it has become a sacred war for the re-establishment of settlements in Gaza.
He added that those who witnessed the “Return to Gaza” conference held last Sunday understand well that the war aims to settle the score for the crime of disengagement from Gaza in 2005.
He concluded that this “means the war comes at no great cost in the minds of many.”
In a different context, David Rosenberg, from “The Monitor,” stated that the war in Gaza led to a sharp increase in Israeli defense purchases, noting that the local defense needs, amidst the ongoing war, forced Israeli defense contractors to delay export contracts.
He added that the increasingly unsafe regional situation “leaves the Israeli government with no choice but to spend more on defense in the foreseeable future.”
Rosenberg concluded by stating that the Israeli government is “determined to reduce its reliance on the United States for traditional ammunition.”
