US decision to freeze Palestinian refugee funding to have devastating impact

Agencies
January 17, 2018

The international community has condemned the US government’s ruthless decision to cut more than half of its planned funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.

The Arab League on Wednesday warned of the devastating consequences of a US decision to freeze $65 million of Palestinian refugee funding. On the  other hand Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said in a Twitter post late on Tuesday that Washington was "holding Palestinian kids' humanitarian needs hostage to political agendas".

The outcry came as the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas again blasted Donald Trump’s “sinful” decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Washington said on Tuesday it would provide $60 million to the UN Relief and Welfare Agency but would hold back a further $65 million. The US State Department said UNRWA needed to make unspecified reforms.

Both the head of the Arab League and the chief of the UN agency warned that holding back the money would exacerbate hardship, and effect education and health for some of the region’s most vulnerable people.

More than half a million boys and girls in 700 UNRWA schools could be affected by the fund cut, as well as Palestinian access to primary health care.

The cut in funding will effect Gaza in particular, where UNRWA helps much of its population of 2 million.

Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, urged the US government to reverse its decision.  "The move will have devastating consequences for vulnerable Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, including hundreds of thousands of refugee children in the West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria who depend on the agency for their education," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

"It will also deny their parents a social safety net that helps them to survive, and undermine the UN agency's ability to respond in the event of another flare-up in the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict."

On Twitter, Egeland said: "Cutting aid to innocent refugee children due to political disagreements among well-fed grown men and women is a really bad politization of humanitarian aid. US holds back $65m aid to Palestinians."

The Turkish Mnistry of Foreign Affairs said cuts to UNRWA would "hamper the efforts towards a two-state political solution and regional stability". It also said that Ankara would increase its contributions to the agency.

Yazan Muhammad Sabri, an 18-year-old Palestinian refugee in Dheisheh camp in the occupied West Bank town of Bethlehem, told Al Jazeera last week that "if the wakala [UNRWA] goes away, there will be no education, no healthcare, no sanitation". "There will be nothing - everything will disappear," he said.

Salah Ajarmeh, a 44-year-old refugee living in West Bank's Aida camp, told Al Jazeera that "if the services stop, there will be a revolution". "Palestinian uprisings began in the refugee camps in Jordan and Syria, and this will happen again."

‘International obligation’

Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's delegation to the US, said in a statement on Wednesday that Palestinian refugees and children's access to basic humanitarian services was "not a bargaining chip but a US and international obligation".

"Taking away food and education from vulnerable refugees does not bring a lasting and comprehensive peace," the statement said.

"Heeding Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's zero-sum game to take Jerusalem off the table and now attempting to dismantle UNRWA, thinking that it would relinquish the rights of Palestinian refugees is a fallacy."

Zomlot was referring to the earlier US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a move that prompted widespread international condemnation and led Palestinian leaders to say that they would "no longer" accept any peace plan put forward by the US.

Tuesday's announcement on UNRWA came after US President Donald Trump had threatened on January 2 to cut aid to Palestinians.

In a series of tweets, Trump had said: "... We pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. "... With the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?"

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News Network
November 30,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 30: A 22-year-old college student succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital in Mangaluru today, days after she was hit by a goods tempo while crossing a road in Padubidri.

The deceased has been identified as Preksha, a resident of Nadsalu Billitota in Padubidri. The fatal incident occurred as Preksha, who was returning home after completing her examination, attempted to cross the service road towards Mangaluru. She was struck by a goods tempo approaching from the Udupi side, causing her to fall and sustain a severe head injury.

Prompt action from local residents ensured she received immediate first aid before being rushed to a hospital in Mangaluru for specialised treatment. Despite medical efforts, she passed away while undergoing care.

Preksha was a student at Karavali College, Vamanjoor on the outskirts of Mangaluru city. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that she belonged to a financially vulnerable family, having previously lost her father. She is survived by her mother and brother.

A case related to the accident has been registered at the Padubidri police station, and an investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances that led to the collision. The incident highlights the growing concerns over road safety, particularly on busy service roads, and serves as a tragic reminder of the human cost of traffic accidents.

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News Network
November 24,2025

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Israeli forces have pushed over the Syrian frontier, erecting a checkpoint and stopping vehicles in the southwestern city of Quneitra, in yet another breach of the Arab country’s sovereignty.

The violation took place on Sunday, when the troops made their way across the border, setting up the outpost near the Ain al-Bayda junction in northern Quneitra, Syrian outlets reported.

According to the al-Ikhbariya paper, an Israeli detachment positioned itself at the junction, halting cars and conducting searches.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that three Israeli military vehicles then moved further into the northern countryside, deploying between the town of Jubata al-Khashab and the villages of Ofaniya and Ain al-Bayda. The agency added that a separate Israeli unit mounted a new incursion in the central region, approaching the villages of Umm Batina and al-Ajraf.

Residents said such activities have surged in recent months, pointing to Israeli advances onto farmland, leveling of extensive forested areas, arrests, and spread of mobile checkpoints.

The Israeli regime began markedly increasing its military aggression against Syria last year.

The escalation coincided with increasingly ferocious onslaughts throughout the country by the so-called Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Takfiri terrorist group, which the government of President Bashar al-Assad had confined to northwestern Syria. The HTS, however, managed to overthrow the government as the Israeli attacks would pummel the country’s civilian and defensive infrastructure.

Various reports have shown that, during the escalation, the regime conducted more than 1,000 airstrikes on the Syrian territory and over 400 ground raids into the south.

Following the collapse of the Assad government, Tel Aviv also widened its grip over the occupied Golan Heights by taking control of a demilitarized buffer zone, in defiance of a 1974 Disengagement Agreement. Earlier this month, senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the buffer zone, prompting expressions of alarm on the part of the United Nations.

The United States, the regime’s biggest ally, has, meanwhile, been fraternizing the HTS head Abu Mohammed al-Jolani amid the widely reported prospect of rapprochement with Tel Aviv.

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P A Hameed Padubidri
November 26,2025

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Constitution Day, also known as Samvidhan Divas, is observed every year on November 26 to honor the adoption of the Constitution of India and to recognize the visionary effort that shaped the world’s largest democracy.

Historical Background

It’s on November 26, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India formally adopted the Constitution.This date is commemorated to acknowledge the completion of nearly three years of drafting, debate, and refinement.

On January 26, 1950, the Constitution came into force, marking India’s transition from a dominion to a sovereign republic.

The date 26 January was chosen to honor the “Purna Swaraj” declaration made in 1930 that marked the relentless efforts & sacrifices of the many. 

Why Constitution Day is Celebrated

* To honor & remember the framers of the Constitution, especially Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, & many others. 

* To remind the citizens of the values, responsibilities, and rights enshrined in the Constitution.

* To promote constitutional values & literacy among students, institutions, and the general public.

* To reaffirm the nation’s commitment to justice, equality, liberty, fraternity and secular values. 

Vision and Significance of the Constitution

It establishes the fundamental political and legal framework for the nation.

Defines the structure, powers and functions of:
    •    The Executive
    •    The Legislature
    •    The Judiciary
    •    Guarantees a comprehensive set of Fundamental Rights, including:

-Equality before law
-Freedom of speech & expression
-Protection of life and personal liberty
-Freedom of religion
-Embeds Directive Principles of State Policy, guiding governance toward social justice and welfare.
-Introduces Fundamental Duties to ensure civic responsibility among citizens.

Key Features Celebrated on Constitution Day

-The Indian constitution is considered one of the longest written constitutions of the world. It’s systematically drafted considering almost all aspects that properly fits to the country. 

-Blend of multiple global constitutional principles while staying rooted in Indian values and realities.

-Framework that balances Federalism, Secularism, Democracy and Rule of Law. This makes everyone-from President to common man-below the law & are equal in the sight of law. 

-Another feature is that it’s based on built-in mechanisms for amendments, ensuring the Constitution grows with changing needs.

Message of the Day

The core ethos of this  Constitution Day is not merely about looking back at history-it’s a reminder of the continuous duty to protect democratic values, respect diversity and uphold the principles that define India as a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic.

Happy Constitution Day to all my compatriots

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