U.S. President, Donald Trump on Tuesday, February 4, signed an executive order withdrawing his country from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and setting up a broader review of US funding for the multilateral organization.
The executive order said it withdrew Washington from UNHRC and the main UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) and would review involvement in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing it of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being “involved in terrorist activities against Israel.”
During Trump’s first term in office, from 2017-2021, he also cut off funding for UNRWA, questioning its value, saying that Palestinians needed to agree to renew peace talks with Israel, and calling for unspecified reforms.
The first Trump administration also quit the 47-member Human Rights Council halfway through a three-year term over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform. The U.S. is not currently a member of the Geneva-based body.
Since taking office for a second term on Jan. 20, Trump has ordered that the U.S. withdraw from the World Health Organization and from the Paris Climate Agreement – also steps he took during his first term in office.
The U.S. was UNRWA’s biggest donor – providing $300 million-$400 million a year – but Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militants Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza.
The U.S. Congress then formally suspended contributions to UNRWA until at least March 2025. UNRWA provides aid, health and education services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
Meanwhile,
Hamas rejects Trump
Palestinian militant group Hamas has strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians in other countries, regardless of their consent.
The controversial announcement was made during a press conference at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump’s proposal, which lacked detailed plans, suggested removing over two million Palestinians from Gaza, clearing unexploded bombs and rubble, and redeveloping the area into what he described as “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump declared, adding that he had support from unnamed leaders in the Middle East. However, both Egypt and Jordan, mentioned as potential destinations for displaced Palestinians, have firmly rejected the idea.
Hamas swiftly condemned the plan, with spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou calling it a “racist” effort to eliminate the Palestinian cause. “The American racist stance aligns with the Israeli extreme right’s position in displacing our people and eliminating our cause,” he said in a statement.
Netanyahu, standing beside Trump, praised the proposal, calling it a bold plan that could “change history.” He also expressed confidence in ongoing efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, despite the kingdom stating it would not formalize ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The plan has provoked widespread backlash. The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, reaffirmed his people’s commitment to Gaza, declaring, “Our homeland is our homeland.” Palestinians living in Gaza have similarly rejected the proposal, with residents decrying it as an affront to their dignity and history.
For many Palestinians, the proposal evokes memories of the “Nakba” in 1948, when hundreds of thousands were displaced during the creation of Israel. The prospect of forced resettlement has drawn condemnation from Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, which mediated the recent Gaza ceasefire.
Trump was vague on how the plan would be executed, hinting at the possibility of deploying U.S. troops to one of the world’s most volatile regions. Meanwhile, Netanyahu maintained a hardline stance against Hamas and its allies, vowing to crush the group’s capabilities and secure the return of hostages still held in Gaza.
The Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, has claimed thousands of lives, with Israeli retaliatory strikes causing significant casualties in Gaza. Trump’s proposal now faces widespread opposition from Palestinians and Middle Eastern nations, casting doubt on its feasibility.
