Do Arab states really care about the Palestinians?

For all their talk of standing by the Palestinians, Arab regimes sure have a funny way of showing it.

I did a bit of research and discovered an interesting, yet largely unknown, little fact: Arab states provide less than 3 percent of the annual budget of UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East.

By contrast, Western countries cover some 95 percent of the organization's finances each year.

Now, if they really truly cared about the fate of their Palestinian brethren, would oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain be so miserly and cheap when it comes to improving their living conditions?

Read below and see for yourself.

UN pressing Arab states for more aid to Palestinian refugees

By Michael Freund

Despite their rhetorical pledges of support for the Palestinians, the Arab states are providing an increasingly smaller amount of aid to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), prompting the UN agency to step up efforts to solicit more funds from Arab regimes throughout the region.

At a press conference held Wednesday in Manama, the Bahraini capital, UNRWA representative Peter Ford issued a plea to Arab countries to increase their donations on behalf of Palestinian refugees, asserting that UNRWA is facing "a financial crisis."

Over the past two decades, Ford noted, Arab states have provided a steadily decreasing percentage of UNRWA's funding. In the 1980s, he said, their donations amounted to 8% of the group's annual budget, whereas now, "Arab donors currently contribute less than three percent of UNRWA's overall spending."

"The objective," he said, "is to return to that level of support at a time when the innocent refugees, as always the victims of political problems, are suffering more than ever."

Ford added that while funds from major donor countries have been "regular and steady," the agency is now looking to tap into other sources, in particular the Arab states, in light of growing demand for UNRWA's services among Palestinian refugees.

"The situation for the refugees is ominously deteriorating because of Israeli attitudes and Palestinian in-fighting," he said. "There is an increasing need for funds from several sources, mainly Arab states."

Ford was in Bahrain to meet with government officials in an effort to drum up additional pledges of support. He plans to visit several Gulf Arab states in the near future as well.

According to UNRWA's Web site, the largest pledge received from an Arab country in 2006 was $1.5 million from Kuwait, with Saudi Arabia promising just $1.2 million. By contrast, Sweden pledged more than $41 million, the UK $27 million, and Denmark over $12 million.

Other Arab states were even less generous, with oil-rich Bahrain offering $30,000 and Lebanon a mere $10,000.

The US was the largest supporter of UNRWA's activities, with more than $137 million of the group's budgeted expenditures of $462 million coming from Washington.

As of October 31, the latest date for which figures are available, UNRWA was expecting a funding shortfall in 2006 of $117 million, with total pledges amounting to $345 million.

Nearly all of UNRWA's operations are financed by voluntary contributions from governments and the European Union. In total, Western countries provide more than 95% of the agency's finances.

--- from the February 9 Jerusalem Post

Comments

[M. D'Souza]

UNRWA is facing ‘a financial crisis’??? ‘Innocent refugees, as always the victim of political problem, are suffering more than ever’!!! These are the words of a gullible Peter Ford who has fallen for this Arab/Islamic charade, where their ‘sound’ is louder and their ‘bites’ are harsher than those in the real suffering world.

Instead of marinating in the ‘Palestinian’ misery, Peter Ford needs to know
(a) who are these Parasitic Arabs (PA),
(b) why are they claiming themselves to be ‘Palestinians’,
(c) how have their own leaders been sucking up all the UNRWA funds for decades with an excuse of fighting for a ‘Palestinian cause’,
(d) why do these same Palestinians overwhelmingly elect a terrorist government, and
(e) why are they still maintained under ‘refugee status’ throughout the Arab lands.

Oil rich Arab/Islamic nations know the truth about these so-called ‘Palestinians’. They know that they are a gang of criminals, thugs, etc., who flee from the punishments imposed by Shariah Law. Wherever they escape, they conveniently claim themselves to be ‘Palestinian’ refugees in search of a permanent home. The chitah does not change its spots. It can be spotted by the destruction it creates, and it still keeps running to escape. This is the case of the criminal Arab gangs, who have snuck into the Land of Israel.

The other Arabs are thrilled to get this scum out of their own lands. They are happy that these Arab thugs will ultimately get the modernized society of Israel out of the Middle East. The Arab/Islamic nations would like to keep the ‘Palestinian cause’ perpetually on the front burner -- simmering, fuming, and bubbling over -- so that the world will just overlook the human rights violations, lack of freedom, intolerance of other religions, etc. in Arab/Islamic nations.

Who are the ones providing relief measures and financial help to Arab/Islamic nations, whenever there is a disaster like a tsunami (Indonesia), earthquake (Pakistan), floods (Bangla Desh), internecine riots (Gaza, West Bank areas), ethnic cleansing by Arab/Islamic thugs (Sudan), etc.?...It’s always the Western nations, including Israel – whose help is always rejected because of the false Arab/Islamic pride. The tight-fisted, oil-rich sheikhs would rather spend that money on their own luxurious living, travel to exotic holiday resorts around the world, propagate their own brand of faith by building madrassas and mosques, training and recruiting fire-brand imams.

On the whole, the Arab nations are so heavenly-minded, that they are of no earthly good. They would rather preach a paradise with 72 virgins for the poor, while they enjoy that paradise here on earth.

[Luigi Frascati]

Hahaha ... great closing line, Mr. D'Souza - although I question whether there are 72 virgins in the whole of Islam ....

Just out of curiosity, Mr. Freund, how much did Syria and Iran contribute to the 'Palestinian cause' ?

[James Biga]

I have made claim for quite some time that the "Palestinians" are nothing but canon fodder for the rest of the Islamic world. By being a constant irritant to Israel, Israel cannot focus it's full attention on the rest of the Middle East. This allows the other nations to continue their propaganda and "military" buildup unabated. Though I am a cynic, I have to believe that many of the "average Palestinians" also see themselves being used in this manner. I just don't understand how a people can allow this to be done to them and not fight back against their murderous regimes.

[Hani]

"U DON'T UNDERSTAND", I comment.

First of all, let me put you in the picture.
There is no 'HOLE WAR ON WEST' from Islamic culture and rules. Yea... there is a war against Israel; there is a war against bush's administration. Jihad means in Arabic "fight". We will fight Israel for:
-invading Philistine
-invading Lebanon
-invading Syria
-invading Egypt
-committing crimes toward the philistine people

I mean you guys gotta understand you can't invade a country without getting hit or rejected. Israel has invaded philistine and has committed crimes against the Philistine people for defending them selves!! We hate the American administration because it supports Israel. American politicians always nag about democracy and freedom; they should then provide democracy and freedom for both Israel and Philistine, right? Why they support only Israel?
And why America dislike it when Hezbollah defends themselves??

Am damen sure that if any country invaded 5 meters of the American beaches you guys will fight till the end ain’t ?? Well believe it WE R DOING THE SAME … and Jihad will continue till the end of Israelian existence. You’re not being fear with calling Hezbollah a terrorist organization; they’re doing nothing but freeing their lands and defending themselves. If you don’t have any dignity to fight against the monsters whom invaded your land, killed citizens of your country, raped girls of your country ,,, well we do, people like hassan nasrullah is the proud of Arab because he is the perfect example of resistance and avoiding Israel people to invade Lebanon.

[Danil]

Hani we all know that the Arabs invaded Israeli land...there was never a Palestinian civilization (Philistines are a different group of people they are NOT ARAB) the "Palestinians" are Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian Arabs not Philistinians
The name "Palestine" was invented by Romans from Philistia Caesaria. Arab murderers lost the 1948 War of Independence and other wars. Palestinians are not defending their land, their terrorist leaders are just murderers.

[shamshum]

well who caused all this sufferings for palestenians should be the ones to pay,its british who promised our lands for Israel and supported later by americans and some european countries.yet we will all donate money for palestenians,they are part of us

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I did a bit of research and discovered an interesting, yet largely unknown, little fact: Arab states provide less than 3 percent of the annual budget of UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East.

By contrast, Western countries cover some 95 percent of the organization's finances each year.

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Now, if they really truly cared about the fate of their Palestinian brethren, would oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain be so miserly and cheap when it comes to improving their living conditions?

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Now, if they really truly cared about the fate of their Palestinian brethren, would oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain be so miserly and cheap when it comes to improving their living conditions?

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On her current trip to the Middle East, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been meeting with a series of Arab leaders, patting each one on the back and heaping praise on them for their supposed "moderation".
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But hiding one's head in the sand is no way to formulate policy or to run a country. What is taking place now in Gaza and elsewhere just serves to underline once again, in very dramatic fashion, just how dangerous it would be to give the Palestinians a state of their own.

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