CNN reports that “Of the 13 UNRWA employees alleged to have been associated with the attack, the Israeli document alleges 10 were Hamas operatives, two were Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives and one is unidentified. . . . UNWRA has already fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, which first emerged last week, hours after the UN’s top court ordered Israel to act immediately to prevent genocide in Gaza. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini also ordered an investigation into the claims, to be conducted by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services. . . . To Palestinians, UNRWA is an essential source of assistance operating inside the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian refugee camps in the Middle East. It provides education, health and social services, and, in times of war, life-saving aid and shelter. It is also one of Gaza’s largest employers, with 13,000 people, mostly Palestinians, on staff. . . .In a statement Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said nine UNRWA staff members at the center of the allegations had been fired. One other was dead and the identities of two others were still “being clarified.” . . . The fallout of the allegations has seen several of the agency’s top donor countries, including the US, Germany and the UK, pull funding from UNRWA. Norway, Ireland, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are among the countries to have not halted funding.”
Haaretz reports the WSJ article about 10% of UNRWA being Hamas.
Pulling funding from the entire 13,000 employees who are trying to provide what help they can to belaguered Gazans is another over generalization and over reaction by the US in support of Israel. The UN General Secretary has it right when he assures the firing of anyone involved in the Oct 7 attacks, but not to stop all of the humanitarian work of UNRWA. The US, UK, German response rejects the ICJ call to precent genocide. Their response adds to what the ICJ already found to be plausible reason to see the results of the war as genocide. With full US support, Israel has for months been attacking all of Gaza in response to what Hamas did. This latest effort seems again to be about preventing any provisions entering Gaza.
The US pulls funding for the allegations about between a dozen and 10% of UNRWA employees, but does not pull funding to Israel or set any conditions on it after an ICJ ruling. Even if it is 10% of UNRWA involved, 90% is doing legitimate humanitarian work. This looks like just the most recent effort to stop shipments of food, medicines, or fuel to Gazans.
Norway’s position makes much more sense.
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