U.N. officials and some donor countries renew calls to revive funding for the main U.N. agency helping the Palestinians, after a review found that Israel had not provided evidence to support its claim that many of the agency’s employees were members of terrorist organizations.
More than a dozen countries, including the United States, suspended funding for the agency, known as UNRWA, after Israel claimed in January that a dozen agency employees had participated in the Hamas attacks on October 7 or their aftermath, and that 10 personnel in Gaza were members of Hamas or its ally, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The United Nations has ordered an independent review of the agency in January, before Israel circulated its claims, but the accusations gave added importance to the investigation, the findings of which were published on Monday. The report makes a series of recommendations for the agency to protect its neutrality, but says “Israel has not yet provided evidence to support” its accusation that a significant number of agency employees are members of terrorist organizations.
The review did not address Israel’s accusation that 12 of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza participated in the Oct. 7 attack or its aftermath, a claim that the United Nations said , is still the subject of an internal investigation. The United Nations fired 10 of the 12 employees accused by Israel.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, said Monday that Guterres had accepted the report’s recommendations and called on donors “to actively support UNRWA, because it is a lifeline.” rescue for Palestinian refugees in the region.
Caroline Gennez, Belgium’s development minister, who has not cut funding to the agency, said the report showed UNRWA had “always acted adequately.”
“I call on all donors to resume their support,” she said. wrote on social networks. “NOW.”
Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin was quoted by the national channel, RTÉ, saying he hoped some countries which had suspended their support would now resume it. Ireland, which has strongly condemned Israel’s campaign in Gaza, aid to UNRWA was increased while other countries reduced it, he noted.
“We have been very clear from the start that you cannot replace or weaken the role of UNRWA in terms of life-saving aid, teaching and education,” he said.
Among the dozen countries that have suspended payments following Israel’s accusations, several – including Australia, Canada and Japan – have already done so. resumption of financing UNRWA, citing the spiral humanitarian disaster in Gaza and the steps the agency is taking to improve accountability.
The United States said it would await the results of U.N. investigations before deciding whether to resume donations to UNRWA. Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, told reporters Monday that the Biden administration was reviewing the U.N.-commissioned report and had not yet evaluated its findings.
“Certainly, we welcome the fact that the secretary-general has accepted the recommendations,” Mr. Miller said, adding that the United States has “made it clear for a long time that reforms are needed at UNRWA.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for UNRWA to be closed and replaced “with responsible international aid agencies.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday called on donor countries to avoid sending money to the organization.
UNRWA claimed Israel had targeted it with a “deliberate and concerted campaign”. to undermine its operations when its services are most needed.
The European Union, one of UNRWA’s largest donors, announced in March that it increased considerably funds to the agency, saying Palestinians faced terrible conditions and should not be forced to pay for Hamas’ crimes.
