Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has urged the United States’ rethink their decision to cut funding to Palestine aid.
It follows an announcement by the US State Department in August that it was scrapping $200m in funding to UNWRA, the UN’s Palestinian refugee aid agency, saying the body was ‘deeply flawed’.
At the time, the country’s ambassador accused US President Donald Trump of being “anti-peace”.
“I greatly regret recent cuts to UNWRA funding announced by the United States and can I say that I plead with those in power to reconsider the consequences of their decisions in this regard,” he said.
“How does increasing the misery of Palestinians not empower the radicals who want to poison the minds of the hopeless, the angry, the young Palestinians and destabilise the moderate political leadership who are committed to lasting peace,” he added.
“A people who have been downtrodden for decades will not be forced or pressurised in negotiating through enforced hardship or humiliation.”
Ireland has increased its funding to UNWRA this year to €7million.
The Tánaiste also emphasised the fact that this year marks the 60th anniversary of Ireland’s inclusion in UN peacekeeping missions.
He called for the UN Security Council to be reformed because, he said, many parts of the world are not sufficiently represented.
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