Facing ‘tipping point,’ UNRWA chief seeks Gulf state support

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is calling on rich Gulf countries to chip in more to help educate, house and provide health care to them. He suggested Tuesday that some don’t put their money where their mouths are when they speak out in support of the beleaguered refugees. Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini of the UNRWA made a pitch to diplomats from key donor states to help fund its $1.6 billion budget request this year. Those funds will first have to go to mop up a multimillion-dollar deficit. The UNRWA was founded in the wake of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 to serve hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes.