RAMALLAH/GAZA, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Education on Monday staged a demonstration in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to protest the U.S. cuts on financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
The demonstrations took place near the headquarters of all the directorates of the ministry, while protesters held banners condemning the U.S. funding cuts.
"The ministry is sending a strong message that the Palestinian people refuse humiliation towards them," Palestinian Minister of Education Sabri Saidam said.
Saidam stressed the rejection of "any attempts to marginalize the Palestinian national identity or to liquidate the refugees issue" through targeting UNRWA.
The UNRWA provides services to some 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
The U.S. funding cuts came one month after U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a world outcry by officially recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
In January, UNRWA made an emergency appeal as it faces a projected deficit of 200 million U.S. dollars in its emergency budget for this year.
"Funding the UNRWA is a moral obligation that should be maintained until the issue of Palestine is resolved," said the agency's Operations Director Matthias Schmale Monday.
He added that UNRWA would suspend 1,000 temporary contracts in the Gaza Strip for three months if it did not receive fundings.
Schmale warned that the agency will not be able to pay salaries for May and June if the deficit continued.
"We do not know how to pay for the food we are currently distributing," Schmale added. "We are unable to cover employees' salaries until May and June, in major programs and services such as health, education and social services."
Historically, the United States is the biggest contributor to UNRWA's budget, with over 350 Million dollars in 2017.
On Jan. 31, UNRWA announced the launch of an emergency call for funds of 800 million dollars to overcome its financial crisis.
The United States recently announced the withholding of 65 million dollars out of the total 125 million dollars granted to the UNRWA. Washington also suspended its 45-million-dollar food aid pledged last month to the agency.
