Australia Follows Canada, Sweden to Resume Funding to UN Agency in Gaza

The Australian government will reinstate funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza. It follows moves by Canada and Sweden to lift their pause on funding to the U.N. agency, yet the United States has continued its halt. Australia had paused funding to the U.N. relief agency in February after allegations emerged workers were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel. U.S. Department of State state spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on March 12, “We have to plan for the fact that Congress may make that pause permanent.” Yet on March 15, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced it would restore $6 million of emergency funding to the UNRWA along with extra funding for Gaza....