In the wake of his announcement to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, President Trump has also vowed to cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) by 83 percent, in a stated effort to bring the Palestinian Authority to the negotiating table. International governments and NGOs swiftly condemned these funding cuts by the United States, citing the critical role UNRWA plays in promoting security and stability in the region through health, education, and assistance programs for Palestinian refugees.
The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host UNRWA’s West Bank director, U.S. Army Maj. (ret.) Scott Anderson, and the director of UNRWA's Representative office in Washington, Elizabeth Campbell, who will discuss the regional impact of this decision and UNRWA’s global funding push to support its critical work. Joined by Hady Amr, a nonresident senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Insitution; and a nonresident senior fellow in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), Amb. (ret.) Jacob Walles. MEI's director for Gulf studies and government relations, Amb. (ret.) Gerald Feierstein, will moderate the discussion.