Egypt & Saudi Arabia Aren’t Expected To Step Up After The West Suspended UNRWA Funding

Egypt’s security-centric policy prevents it from opening the border to fleeing refugees while political factors vis-a-vis Israel and the US are responsible for Saudi Arabia’s reluctance to replace the West’s suspended UNRWA funding.

Several Western states suspended their funding of the United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA), which is responsible for the provision of humanitarian assistance to Gaza’s beleaguered 2 million residents, in response to unpublished Israeli accusations that some employees participated in Hamas’ sneak attack. The agency was already short on funding even before this latest development and many now fear that it won’t be able to help these Palestinian refugees meet their most basic needs.

Now’s the time for Egypt and Saudi Arabia to step up by respectively opening up the border for refugees per its obligations under international law and jumping in to fund UNRWA’s activities. Neither is expected to do so, however, since the first fears an influx of so-called “Weapons of Mass Migration” (e.g. Muslim Brotherhood sleeper cells disguised as refugees) while the second doesn’t want to defy Israel or the West. Here are some background briefings for those who aren’t aware of these dynamics:

* 12 October 2023: “Egypt’s Dilemma: Facilitate Ethnic Cleansing Or Allow Possible Genocide”

* 2 November 2023: “Egypt Is Playing An Extremely High-Stakes Game In Gaza That Could End In Genocide”

* 26 November 2023: “Saudi Arabia Is Expected To Eventually Resume Its Secret Normalization Talks With Israel”

* 19 January 2024: “Why Did Saudi Arabia Clarify That It Hasn’t Yet Accepted BRICS Membership?”

* 22 January 2024: “Egypt Is Saber-Rattling Against Ethiopia To Distract From Its Betrayal Of The Palestinians”

Both have the power to relieve the Palestinians’ suffering, but Egypt’s security-centric policy prevents it from doing so while political factors are responsible for Saudi Arabia’s reluctance to replace the West’s suspended UNRWA funding. Israel is most to blame for this catastrophe due to its collective punishment of the Palestinians, though this fact doesn’t excuse those two and especially Egypt’s refusal to help. There’s nothing contradictory about condemning all three and Hamas unlike what some activists claim.

Each contributed to this disaster either through their own actions or lack thereof, which everyone should recognize if they want to accurately assess what’s happening and why. Hamas’ sneak attack set events into motion, Israel collectively punished the Palestinians, Egypt refused to let them flee to safety, and Saudi Arabia won’t replace the West’s suspended UNRWA funding. Every one of them has blood on their hands, but their respective propagandists are doing their utmost to lay the blame solely on the others.