“Alternative Jewish Voices and Dayenu congratulate Foreign Minister Peters for maintaining NZ’s funding to UNRWA for
humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. In the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe, we cannot abandon people who are
being starved. In the wake of the recent Israeli attack on the UNRWA school in Nuseirat refugee camp, New Zealand should
increase its support of UNRWA.” says Justine Sachs, co-founder of Dayenu and a member of Alternative Jewish Voices
(AJV).
“UNRWA provides vital aid to the besieged population of Gaza. No other agency can replicate their logistics and
infrastructure. Their ongoing operations are critical to saving lives in the humanitarian emergency in Gaza. UNRWA
employs over 13,000 people in Gaza. New Zealand suspended its donations to UNRWA after Israel made unsubstantiated
allegations about a few UNRWA employees. The Israeli government was unable to provide any evidence to an independent
investigation, which has since cleared UNRWA of wrongdoing.” says Sachs.
“The International Court of Justice recently ruled that continuing the ongoing Rafah offensive would constitute a
violation of the Palestinians' right for safety and therefore must cease immediately. The Court has also determined that
Israel must ensure the delivery of basic services and essential humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. Suspending
funding to UNRWA could make states complicit in Israeli war crimes. New Zealand claims to have a principled foreign
policy. On principle, we need to act against genocide and help save lives.” says Justine Sachs.Background information supporting this media release
Alternative Jewish Voices is a collective of non-Zionist Jews. Dayenu is a group of New Zealand Jews opposed to racism
and the illegal occupation of Palestinian land. AJV and Dayenu are in the process of merging. More information can be
found at https://ajv.org.nz/ and https://www.instagram.com/dayenunz/
The United Nations Refugee and Words Agency (UNRWA) is mandated to serve Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank,
Lebanon, Syria and Jordan until there is a just solution to their dispossession. By funding UNRWA, donor states refuse
to normalise that dispossession.
In blockaded Gaza, UNRWA provides health, education, housing and services to 1.7 million refugees, 70% of the
population. It is also a critical provider of employment, liquidity, population records, and essential humanitarian aid.
It is especially vital in emergencies. No other agency has a fraction of UNRWA’s skilled staff, logistics or
infrastructure for shelter and distribution – whatever fraction of that capacity remains intact.
The Colonna report was not provided with any evidence to verify Israel’s unsubstantiated allegations that a small number
of UNRWA staff somehow supported Hamas’s actions on 7 October.
UNRWA is entirely dependent on voluntary funding. It is not funded through UN contributions. National voluntary
contributions were committed some time ago. Budgets and plans have been made on the assumption that those promises would
be kept. Winston Peter’s announcement was made on the platform formerly known as Twitter.