by Melanie Nathan, January 30, 2024.
HAVE YOUR HUMANITARIAN DONATIONS TO UNRWA FUNDED TERRORISM?
Details are emerging via a NY Times Report, on U.N. workers accused of aiding the Hamas massacre on October 07 in Israel. Israeli officials have presented evidence they say ties workers at a Palestinian aid agency in Gaza to violence during the Hamas-led attack on Israel. One is accused of kidnapping a woman. Another is said to have handed out ammunition. A third was described as taking part in the massacre at a kibbutz where 97 people died. And all were said to be employees of the United Nations aid agency that schools, shelters and feeds hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This is explosive and indicative of the insidious interweaving of so called Palestinian innocence amongst the intricate web of Hamas terrorist operatives. If four were caught – how many were not? This calls into question the very notion of innocent civilian.
Statement on UNRWA Allegations from U.S. Department of State: 01/26/2024 10:09 AM EST Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson
The United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on January 25 to emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter. We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres’ pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate. We also welcome the UN’s announcement of a “comprehensive and independent” review of UNRWA. There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7.
UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians, including essential food, medicine, shelter, and other vital humanitarian support. Their work has saved lives, and it is important that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures, including reviewing its existing policies and procedures.
The United States has reached out to the Government of Israel to seek more information about these allegations, and we have briefed Members of Congress. We will remain in close contact with the United Nations and Government of Israel regarding this matter.
Then this response:
UNRWA announced an astonishing thing: It was opening an investigation into 12 employees suspected of involvement in the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, severing ties with them to “protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance,” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General.
The world reacts to UNRWA
The UN said it was “horrified” by the news – which did not surprise Israelis much, and the US announced it would halt funding on Saturday, followed by Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Finland. The US is one of its largest donors, along with Germany and the EU.
Many countries including EU are stopping funding.
UNRWA is rotten to the core – editorial on J POST
UNRWA isn’t going anywhere, and it is irreplaceable in the level of aid that it provides. What changed this weekend is that it is now irrefutable that it must change course.
On Sunday, and already for the last few days, protesters at Kerem Shalom blocked the entry of goods and humanitarian materials into Gaza, claiming that it is “giving Hamas the oxygen it needs.” UNRWA hasn’t responded directly to this, but it immediately distinguished between the 12 “bad apples” and the organization.
That is the root of the debate, then: Whether the sentiments and intentions that led to these staffers participating in the worst massacre the Jewish people have experienced since the Holocaust – on the UN’s payroll – was a glaring exception or not. The US’ future funding hedges on this, on the conclusions of the probe UNRWA was instructed to conduct. READ MORE
Executive Director
African Human Rights Coalition
Country expert witness for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers
from African countries
commissionermnathan@gmail.com
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