Turkey slams US decision to cut UNRWA funding

Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik slammed a move by Washington to cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

“The U.S. decision to end aid to the UN Palestinian refugee agency will provoke chaos and worsen the situation in the region. Every step that blocks the solution of the Palestine issue affects the whole world. The U.S. supports discord,” Çelik said on Friday.

“The entire world must stand united against this unjust move by the U.S., like it did regarding the Jerusalem issue in the past. The best response is to increase financial aid to the UNRWA,” he added.

Çelik’s comments came after the Turkish Foreign Ministry released a statement dubbing the U.S. move “greatly disappointing.”

In the first reaction by Turkey to the American decision, a written statement by the ministry criticized the American decision to cut its aid to the UNRWA, noting that it will “negatively affect the lives of over five million Palestinians.”

“This decision will at the same time damage regional peace and stability, and the prospect of finding a two-state political solution to the Palestinian issue.”

“Over 500,000 Palestinian children receive education at UNRWA schools and close to one million Palestinians depend on UNRWA’s urgent food aid for sustenance,” the statement read.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert announced on Friday that Washington "will no longer commit further funding" to the UNRWA.

The U.S. was by far UNRWA's largest funder, giving $350 million annually, or about one-quarter of the agency's budget.

The agency is responsible for a number of critical programs for the more than five million Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It provides them with schooling, health services and food security, among other services.

UNRWA earlier this week warned that if Washington went through with its funding cut, it would likely result in greater instability in the region.