Strasbourg, 14 September 2017

The Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament rejects the manipulative attack by the EFDD Group against UNRWA - the UN agency that has been providing protection and assistance to Palestine refugees in the Middle East for almost seven decades – in the European Parliament and continues to strongly support the agency.

S&D Group president Gianni Pittella MEP said:
 
“We condemn the action taken by a tiny minority of members of our parliament to discuss the abolition of UNRWA in our plenary session today. UNRWA, which has been delivering essential aid to Palestine refugees for decades, as well as in Syria over the past years, needs our support. Therefore, the European Union should explore ways of further strengthening our support for the agency, instead of listening to unjustified accusations.
 
“We have to say it clear and loud: UNRWA is part of the solution and not the problem, when it comes to ensuring stability in the Middle East today and achieving a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians tomorrow. What is needed is genuine political will leading to tangible results in the peace process and to the two-state solution – and not the dissolution of UNRWA. It is in this spirit that we protest against this plenary debate, which has a single aim: to manipulate the European public."