**Date: 9/2/2026**
**Discussion of Camp Conditions, UNRWA’s Financial Crisis, and Its Impact on Essential and Emergency Services**
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Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Head of the Department of Refugee Affairs, Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi, affirmed that the continuation of Finnish support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) represents a fundamental political and humanitarian commitment to strengthening regional stability. He called on the Finnish government to continue its strategic partnership with the Agency and to renew the multi-year funding agreement, which is set to expire at the end of the current year.
During his meeting with the Head of the Representative Office of the Republic of Finland to the State of Palestine, Ambassador Tarja Kangaskorpi, at the Department’s headquarters in Ramallah, Abu Holi urged the Finnish government to increase its annual contribution to UNRWA to exceed €5 million. This, he said, would enable the Agency to meet and respond to the growing needs of refugees in light of the deepening financial crisis and a budget deficit exceeding USD 200 million, following decisions involving mass dismissals, salary reductions, and a 20% reduction in staff working hours. He noted that Finland has been a major donor to UNRWA and a member of its Advisory Commission since 2008, and has played a key role in mobilizing political and financial support for the UN agency.
Abu Holi and Ambassador Kangaskorpi also discussed the conditions in Palestinian refugee camps, the financial crisis, and the existential challenges facing UNRWA amid the systematic war waged by the occupying power against its facilities and staff. These attacks coincide with the targeting and destruction of camps in the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank.
Dr. Abu Holi praised Finland’s early and “unearmarked” funding model, as well as Finland’s principled positions demonstrated by its signing of the “Joint Statement of Shared Commitments” in July 2024 and its accession to the “New York Declaration” in September 2025. He called on the current Finnish government to follow the approach of its predecessor in supporting UNRWA and strengthening partnership with it.
He stressed that UNRWA constitutes the backbone of humanitarian action and that there is no alternative to its vital role in safeguarding the inalienable rights of Palestinian refugees in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194. He warned that the accumulated financial deficit threatens not only essential services, but also regional stability and the legitimate rights of refugees guaranteed by international resolutions.
Abu Holi briefed the Finnish Ambassador on Israel’s continued violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which have exceeded 1,500 military breaches and artillery attacks, resulting in hundreds of casualties since the agreement entered into force on 10 October 2025. He explained that the occupation deliberately undermines humanitarian work by preventing the entry of more than 50% of relief and fuel trucks and by tightening restrictions at the Rafah crossing, depriving thousands of wounded individuals of urgent medical evacuation. This coincides with Israel’s evasion of its international obligations and the roadmap of the “Trump Plan,” as well as its insistence on demolishing residential blocks to impose a new geographic reality in the so-called “Yellow Zone.”
He affirmed that the Israeli targeting of UNRWA is integrated with the military aggression against camps in the northern West Bank, with the aim of turning them into uninhabitable environments and forcibly emptying them of their residents. He explained that the occupation’s conditions for withdrawal—prohibiting UNRWA’s activities, restricting political engagement by refugees, and limiting the return of displaced persons—constitute the implementation of a forced displacement plan and the erasure of the right of return, paving the way for the annexation of the West Bank and the liquidation of the refugee issue. This is clearly reflected in the destruction of Gaza’s camps and the extension of the siege on the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps until the end of next March.
Abu Holi warned of the seriousness of recent decisions taken by UNRWA, including the termination of contracts of 579 employees who left the Gaza Strip for the Arab Republic of Egypt, with the settlement of their entitlements by 2026, and the payment of 80% of staff salaries in exchange for a 20% reduction in working hours. He cautioned that the repercussions of these measures have begun to emerge on the ground, with employee unions announcing the initiation of labor disputes.
He commended Finland’s steadfast political position in support of the two-state solution on the 1967 borders, its rejection of settlement expansion, and its opposition to attempts to alter the historical and legal status of Jerusalem or to forcibly displace Palestinians. He considered coordination with Finland—a state that upholds the rule of international law—to be a fundamental pillar in protecting Palestinian rights.
Abu Holi called on Finland to use its influence within the European Union to pressure Israel to repeal legislation aimed at classifying UNRWA as a hostile organization, and to lead an international effort to ensure the continuation of the Agency’s mandate until a political solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is reached in accordance with Resolution 194. He also called for the protection of UNRWA’s facilities and staff and the safeguarding of the inalienable rights of refugees as enshrined in the same UN resolution.
He further emphasized the need to compel the occupying power to respect the “Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations of 1946,” and to confront plans aimed at dismantling UNRWA, ending its role, and transferring its responsibilities to host governments and international organizations. He praised Finland’s position rejecting Israeli legislation banning UNRWA’s work, and its joint condemnation with the European Union in December 2025 of the forcible storming of UNRWA buildings in East Jerusalem and the raising of the Israeli flag over them.
For her part, Ambassador Tarja Kangaskorpi affirmed Finland’s political interest in the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, stressing her country’s continued support for international efforts to ensure the sustainability of UNRWA’s operations and the protection of its legal mandate.
She noted that Finland is closely monitoring developments in refugee camps in the West Bank, particularly in the northern camps and occupied Jerusalem, including challenges resulting from displacement and threats by the occupation. She emphasized Finland’s commitment to protecting the rights of Palestinian refugees, respecting international humanitarian law, and ensuring the continued provision of essential services to them, adding that she will convey the importance of sustaining UNRWA’s work to the Finnish government and the international community.
The meeting was attended on behalf of the Department of Refugee Affairs by Deputy Head of the Department Anwar Hammam and Head of International Relations Mai Ouda.
