Ramallah, November 2, 2025, WAFA – Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Head of the Refugee Affairs Department, Ahmad Abu Holi, welcomed the European Parliament’s decision to increase the European Union’s contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) by €35 million within the EU’s 2026 budget.
Abu Holi affirmed that this decision reflects a European stance supporting justice, humanity, and the rights of Palestinian refugees.
He explained that the increased funding will strengthen UNRWA’s ability to continue providing its essential services in the fields of education, health, and relief for Palestinian refugees—particularly in the Gaza Strip, Syria, and the Agency’s five fields of operation—and will support efforts to rebuild and improve living conditions amid escalating crises.
Abu Holi noted that the European decision comes at a critical time, as UNRWA faces politically motivated campaigns of incitement and defamation aimed at undermining its historic and humanitarian role. He stressed that targeting UNRWA is not merely an attack on an international institution, but rather a deliberate political effort to erase the Palestinian refugee issue from the international agenda and to undermine their right of return in accordance with UN Resolution 194.
He added that UNRWA stands as a living witness to the Nakba and the ongoing suffering of Palestinian refugees, and that attempts to politicize its work or dry up its financial resources are part of a broader plan to gradually liquidate the Palestinian cause by weakening one of its fundamental pillars.
Abu Holi further stated that the European Parliament’s decision to increase funding sends a clear message rejecting such efforts and reaffirms the international community’s commitment to supporting refugees until a comprehensive and just solution to their plight is achieved.
He praised the position of the European Parliament and EU member states, emphasizing that this step reflects political and humanitarian awareness of UNRWA’s vital role and serves as a practical response to campaigns seeking to delegitimize or undermine its UN mandate.
Finally, Abu Holi called on the international community to further strengthen financial and political support for UNRWA and to confront the pressures it faces, in order to preserve the dignity and stability of Palestinian refugees’ lives. He stressed that supporting UNRWA means supporting the rights of refugees and their right of return, and that any attempt to weaken it constitutes an assault on the core of the Palestinian cause itself.
He concluded by underscoring that UNRWA’s continued humanitarian mission serves as a social and humanitarian safety net for millions of refugees, and that the international community must shoulder its responsibility to protect and empower the Agency to carry out its role free from political interference or pressure.
