[20180907]IN10964_决定停止美国为近东救济工程处（巴勒斯坦难民）提供资金.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Decision to Stop U.S. Funding of UNRWA (for Palestinian Refugees) (name redacted) Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs (name redacted) Specialist in International Humanitarian Policy September 7, 2018 On August 31, 2018, the State Department announced that the United States will not make further contributions to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), but will seek to help “innocent Palestinians” through other models and approaches. The U.S. decision to end contributions could greatly affect UNRWA, which provides services for around 5.4 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. The decision also has other important humanitarian and political implications. The United States has been a major contributor to UNRWA since its establishment shortly after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and provided approximately one-third of UNRWAs annual budget in 2017. For additional background, see CRS Report RS22967, U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians, by (name redacted). The State Departments statement came shortly after a separate announcem