Israel wants UNRWA replaced as countries pause funding

Six European countries have paused funding for the UN Refugee Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland on Saturday joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency, a critical source of support for people in Gaza, after the allegations by Israel.

 

 

Allegations UNRWA staff were involved in the abhorrent October 7 terror attacks are deeply concerning.

Australia welcomes UNRWA’s swift response and will engage closely on investigations.

We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding. pic.twitter.com/Havwserjh3

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) January 27, 2024

ZFA President Jeremy Leibler said: “While we welcome Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s decision to pause funding to UNRWA, the problems with UNRWA go far deeper than a handful of its staff participating in the 7 October massacres. We are calling on the Australian Government to desist from resuming funding until UNRWA removes all glorification of terrorism from its school text books, fires all teachers that have praised terrorism, and commits to a transparent, third-party audit of all its finances.”

Mr Leibler added: “UNRWA knew about Hamas’ genocidal conduct but said and did nothing. All those who want a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians must hold UNRWA accountable. Australia must ensure that any further aid provided to Gaza does not end up in the hands of terrorists or its supporters.”

ZFA CEO Alon Cassuto said, “We learned within days of the 7 October massacre that at least one of the Hamas attackers had UNRWA identity papers discovered on his body. What surprises us is the length of time it took for the UN to admit this.

UNRWA has been an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace for decades. UNRWA’s culture is corrupt and supportive of terrorism. A Telegraph channel with over 3000 UNRWA teachers praised the 7 October massacre. UNRWA teachers and school books are on record as praising Palestinian terrorists as heroes.”

C0-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin tweeted on X: The reports that UNRWA personnel actively participated in the October 7 horrors and UNRWA vehicles and facilities were also used is utterly shocking and completes the disgrace of this organisation. We have for many years called for its defunding due to corruption, links with terrorism, and antisemitic education. But reports that staff paid by foreign taxpayers participated in mass murder, rape and abduction requires the immediate suspension of all payments by Australia to this organisation and anyone associated with it. We are a country that fights terror but if we continue to support UNRWA we will be funding it. We welcome the Government’s announcement and hope the suspension of funding is made permanent in time. Extreme care must be taken to ensure that Australian aid spending never goes to malevolent actors like UNRWA ever again.”

“Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, said on X. “This stains all of us.”

The agency said on Friday it had opened an investigation into several employees and severed ties with those people.

Encouraging more donor suspensions, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said UNRWA should be replaced once fighting in the enclave dies down and accused UNRWA of ties to Islamist militants in Gaza.

“In Gaza’s rebuilding, UNRWA must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development,” he added on X.

Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq, asked about Katz’s remarks, said: “We are not responding to rhetoric. UNRWA overall had had a strong record, which we have repeatedly underscored”.

Reuters could not immediately contact UNRWA’s communications head for comment.

UNRWA has always rejected similar accusations in the past and maintained it is a relief and humanitarian agency.

The Palestinian foreign ministry criticised what it described as an Israeli campaign against UNRWA, and Hamas condemned the termination of employee contracts “based on information derived from the Zionist enemy”.

UNRWA was set up to help refugees of the 1948 war at Israel’s founding and provides education, health and aid services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

It helps about two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million population and has played a pivotal aid role during the war that Israel launched to eliminate Hamas in response to the October 7 attacks.

The UK Foreign Office said on Saturday it was temporarily pausing funding for UNRWA while the accusations were reviewed.

“The Italian government has suspended financing of the UNRWA after the atrocious attack on Israel on October 7,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X.

The Netherlands and Finland also said they were suspending funding.

Announcing the investigation, UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said on Friday that he had decided to terminate the contracts of some staff members to protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance.

Lazzarini did not disclose the number of employees allegedly involved in the attacks, nor the nature of their alleged involvement.

He said, however, that “any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror” would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.

Lazzarini has described the October attacks as heinous.

At the time, there were unconfirmed reports that UNRWA teachers had celebrated the massacre.

A likewise unconfirmed Israeli media report said a hostage had been held by one of the organisation’s employees.

Neither claim could be independently verified.

Hamas said the allegations against UNRWA were an Israeli smear campaign against international organisations that help Palestinians.

During weeks of Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, UNRWA has repeatedly said its capacity to render humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza is on the verge of collapse.

Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the Palestinians’ umbrella political body the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), said cutting support to the agency brought major political and relief risks.

“We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision,” he said on X.

The Foreign Ministry in Germany, a major donor to UNRWA, welcomed UNRWA’s investigation, saying it was deeply concerned about the allegations raised against agency employees.

“We expect Lazzarini to make it clear within UNRWA’s workforce that all forms of hatred and violence are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” it said on X.

with DPA