BEIRUT, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said Friday that guaranteeing funding for the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is in the common interest of Lebanon and the whole region.

During his meeting with Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon Dorothee Klaus, Bou Habib warned that halting the funding will "cause Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to lose hope and push them toward extremism and violent acts," reported Lebanon's National News Agency.

Lebanese lawmaker Fadi Alameh, who also attended the meeting, said the Lebanese side is keen to safeguard and support UNRWA, "an important institution created to help the Palestinian people."

For her part, Klaus said UNRWA provides vital and basic services to 250,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and that there is no alternative to supporting them in these difficult times.

She thanked the Lebanese government for "the help that UNRWA has received over the past weeks from its various institutions," and informed Bou Habib of the expectations for the ministry to help secure sufficient funding for her agency.

A number of donor countries decided to suspend funds to UNRWA after Israel accused the agency's employees in Gaza of taking part in the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

While some have partially reinstated UNRWA funding, given that Israel's claims have not been verified, the agency has lost the bulk of its financial support. Enditem

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