Canada and 10 other nations announced this week they will suspend funding for UNRWA, a UN agency that supports Palestinians, after Israel alleged some of its staff played a role in the Hamas attack last October.
The director of the agency said it terminated the suspected staff, but warned on Monday that it won’t be able to continue operations beyond February if support is not restored. Now, global affairs experts are worried Canada and the other nations’ decision to pause funding could have grave consequences for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Yves Fortier, former Canadian ambassador to the UN, appeared on CTV News Channel on Monday to discuss Canada’s decision and why he hopes it is only temporary.
“There are bad apples in every basket,” Fortier said in reference to the dozen UNRWA employees who are accused of aiding Hamas, in an agency with over more than 13,000 staff in the Gaza Strip.
“I visited the agency’s headquarters in Gaza Strip, they’re doing a lot of good vis-à-vis Palestinians who need, particularly at this moment, assistance and food and water.”
Japan and Austria were the latest countries to suspend funding for the UN agency. The 11 countries taking part in the pausing of funds account for more than 60 per cent of UNRWA’s funding, according to its website.
Global affairs analyst Michael Bociurkiw also appeared on CTV New Channel on Monday to discuss the updated list of nations pausing their funding, and how it can get worse for an organization that was already cash starved and underfunded.
“Hospitals, schools, psychosocial centres, sanitation, road clearing: (UNRWA) is a municipal government over there,” Bociurkiw said. “With the big percentage of the Gaza Strip population on the verge of starvation, this is not something that other UN agencies can fill the gap.”
Michael Fakhri is the UN special rapporteur on the right to food. He said the situation is dire without these funds, as UNRWA has been the centre of civic life in the Gaza Strip and refugee camps throughout Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
“The key thing to remember is that it has operated in Gaza since 1950. Before the (Oct. 7 attacks), 1.2 million people relied on UNRWA for food assistance,” Fakhri said on CTV News Channel Monday. “Before I heard (countries pausing funding), I was raising the alarm that famine was imminent. Without these funds, famine might be inevitable in the next few weeks.”
On Monday, an Israeli document spelled out allegations against the dozen UN employees, claiming seven stormed into Israeli territory, including two who participated in abductions. The accusations come after years of tensions between Israel and the agency known as UNRWA over its work in Gaza, where it employs roughly 13,000 people.
Bociurkiw, a former communications chief in the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) East Jerusalem offices, said an interim solution needs to be found while an investigation runs its course, but the 11 countries’ decision is very bad timing.
When asked if he thought the freezing of funds is temporary, Bociurkiw said nations like Canada and Italy will likely reconsider.
But if U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump is elected this coming November, one of his first acts would be to cut funding to UNRWA and other agencies active in the Gaza Strip like the World Health Organization.
Fortier, who briefly served as president of the UN Security Council in 1989, said he personally regrets that Canada has joined nations like the U.S., the U.K. and Germany in suspending its funding for UNRWA, believing any decision should be withheld until Israel’s allegations have been investigated thoroughly.
“This will only injure more Palestinians. There’s been 26,000 Palestinians who have been killed since Oct. 7, so I believe countries should hold their fire until an investigation has been carried out, and the bad apples have been removed from the bushel.”
Fakhri said even before the Oct. 7 attacks, more than 50 per cent of Gaza residents were food insecure and there was a high degree of malnutrition, with residents only receiving the bare minimum of what humans need to be healthy. He said the response from the 11 countries is incredibly disproportionate.
“I’m not sure why the alleged actions of 12 employees has led to such a massive retaliation against all Gazans and Palestinian refugees,” Fakhri said. “The response, in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, has been to defund the most effective and primary source of aid. That makes no sense.”
HOUSTON (AP) — Brian White scored in the second half to rally the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday night.
Houston (12-9-8) took a 1-0 lead into halftime after Ezequiel Ponce scored on a penalty kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Ponce’s third goal this season came after Amine Bassi drew a foul on Whitecaps midfielder Pedro Vite following a video review. It was Ponce’s sixth career appearance, all starts.
Vancouver (13-8-7) scored the equalizer in the 73rd minute when White, who entered in the 60th, used assists from Fafá Picault and Ryan Gauld to find the net for the 13th time this season. Picault’s assist was his fifth, matching his career high for a single season. Gauld’s assist gives him a career-best 13 on the season.
Yohei Takaoka, who had clean sheets in his last three starts, finished with one save in goal for the Whitecaps.
Steve Clark saved three shots for the Dynamo, who remain one point behind Vancouver in the Western Conference standings.
Houston, which was coming off a 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake, has allowed just 33 goals this season.
Vancouver — 6-2-2 in its last 10 matches overall — leads the all-time series 10-9-6.
The Whitecaps remain on the road to play the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday. The Dynamo travel to play Austin FC on Saturday.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Pearce and Nathan Saliba scored in the second half — the first goals of their careers — and CF Montreal rallied for a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution on Wednesday night.
“In the second half, the guys came out a little more ambitious and above all, more connected,” Montreal head coach Laurent Courtois said. “It was a great second half of resilience and fighting spirit. Nathan and Sam were impressive.
“Impressive in covering the gaps and compensating for the teammates, and the individual defending – yes it’s true, it is a lot of weight on their shoulders, but that’s the job.”
New England (8-16-4) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute on Bobby Wood’s third goal of the season. Teenage defender Peyton Miller notched his first assist in his fourth career start and sixth appearance and Carles Gil picked up his ninth of the season. Peyton, at 16 years, 315 days old, is the eighth youngest player in league history to record his first assist.
The Revolution took a two-goal lead in the 35th minute and held it through halftime when 19-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic took a pass from Gil and scored his third goal of the season and career in his first full season in the league. It was the 73rd regular-season assist in Gil’s career, tying him with Steve Ralston for the most in club history.
Montreal (7-12-10) pulled within a goal in the 54th minute when Pearce scored off a free kick after defender George Campbell drew a foul on New England’s Mark-Anthony Kaye. It was the first goal for Pearce in his third career start and fourth appearance.
“Playoffs are the goal. Maybe it wasn’t in the best form, but in the end, we are picking up a point,” Pearce said. “We came into this game confident, ready to play our own game. Everyone tries their best, whenever the players are called on, we are always ready, and we are always giving it our best.”
Montreal scored the equalizer in the 68th minute on the first career goal by Saliba, a 20-year-old midfielder. Saliba has made 34 starts and 48 appearances with Montreal in his two seasons in the league. Campbell snagged his second assist of the season and the third of his career.
“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s a goal I’ve been waiting for a long time. I’m extremely happy that I was able to score it and that it can help the team take this important point on the road,” Saliba said. “Pearce’s first goal gave us really good momentum and we kept up the pressure to go for a second goal. We got more solid defensively, and we came back ready after halftime, to push for these 3 points.”
Aljaz Ivacic finished with four saves in goal for the Revolution.
Jonathan Sirois stopped four shots for Montreal.
New England beat Montreal 5-0 on the road on Aug. 24.
New England leads the all-time series 16-13-4. Montreal improves to 5-8-2 on the road against the Revs.
The Revolution travel to take on Charlotte FC on Saturday. Montreal returns home to host the Chicago Fire on Saturday.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Adolis García hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, Cody Bradford pitched seven strong innings after the worst start of his career, and the Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 on Wednesday night.
The win kept the defending World Series-champion Rangers alive in the AL West race, trailing first-place Houston by 10 games with 10 to play.
García launched an inside sinker over the left-field wall off Toronto starter Bowden Francis (8-5) after Wyatt Langford singled.
“He swings hard, he swings a lot,” Francis said of García. “I guess the velo was dropping during that time.”
Bradford (6-3) allowed five hits and no walks while striking out six.
The seven shutout innings are the most in a game during his two-year career. He was knocked out of his previous start after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and homers (three) in 3 2/3 innings in a 14-4 loss at Arizona.
“Throughout the week, you’ve got to try and digest what happened, see where I can make adjustments, whether it was just game plan went wrong or just poor execution, or a little bit of both,” Bradford said. “Then you flush it.”
Bradford was perfect through four innings before Alejandro Kirk opened the fifth with a smash back to the mound that caromed off Bradford’s left foot and rolled into right field for a single. It extended Kirk’s hitting streak to a career-high 12 games.
Spencer Horwitz’s double to left-center put runners on second and third with no outs before Bradford retired the next three batters.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider credited Bradford’s “deceptive fastball.”
“When you’re throwing 89, 92, you’ve got to have pretty good deception with that at this level,” Schneider said. “Kept us off balance.”
Kirby Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 31st save in 32 opportunities.
Francis, who took no-hitters into the ninth inning in two of his previous four starts, allowed a double to Marcus Semien, the Rangers’ first hitter of the game. He gave up five hits and one walk in six innings.
Francis has a 1.96 ERA in nine starts with 54 strikeouts and seven walks since being moved back into the starting rotation in late July.
“I don’t even want to get complacent, on cruise control,” Francis said. “Just keep attacking.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette was a late scratch with a right middle finger contusion suffered during infield practice. Schneider said the team will get back x-rays on Thursday. Bichette was activated Tuesday following a calf injury and played for the first time in two months, going 2 for 5 with one RBI at the plate. … INF Will Wagner (left knee inflammation) will have the knee scoped on Thursday. Schneider said Wagner should be ready to start spring training. Wagner, son of former major leaguer Billy Wagner, was acquired from Houston at the trade deadline.
UP NEXT
Rangers rookie RHP Kumar Rocker (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will make his home debut against Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.02) in the series finale. Rocker allowed one run in four innings at Seattle last Thursday in his major league debut.
