[ad_1]
Estonia and Japan join nine other countries in suspending funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency following allegations that 12 of its employees took part in the Hamas-led October 7 massacre. .
“Regarding the recent and very serious allegations against @UNRWA, Estonia will not continue funding the organization,” Estonia’s Foreign Minister Tsakuna said in a post to X on Sunday. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said it was “very concerned about the allegations” and would suspend new funding to UNRWA until the investigation is complete. Their statement followed suspensions by Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Iceland. At issue is UNRWA’s commitment to more than $1.6 billion for the 5.9 million Palestinian refugees it serves in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. At least $363 million of the funds were invested. In addition to basic food supplies, UNRWA also provides education and health services.UN urges donor countries not to suspend funding
UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged donor countries not to suspend funding. He said: “Gaza’s two million civilians depend on critical assistance from UNRWA for their daily survival, but UNRWA’s current funding does not meet all requirements to support them in February. It will not be possible to satisfy it.”
“While I understand their concerns and am personally appalled by these accusations, I urge governments that have suspended funding to at least ensure that UNRWA continues to operate.
“The alleged abhorrent conduct of these staff members must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many of them in the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, will not be punished. They shouldn’t. The desperate needs of the desperate people they serve must be met,” Guterres said. Israel submitted a complaint to UNRWA privately over the weekend but did not make the information public. In response to the charges, Lazzarini immediately fired the nine staff members involved. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said one of the staff had been “confirmed dead” and that the identities of the other two had been revealed. He said the United Nations had taken “swift action following extremely serious allegations” and that “an investigation by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight (OIOS) has immediately begun.” “United Nations personnel involved in acts of terrorism will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution. The Secretariat stands ready to cooperate with competent authorities to prosecute individuals in line with the Secretariat’s normal cooperation procedures.” said Secretary-General Guterres. “UNRWA previously announced a complete independent review of the organization on January 17,” he said. Following Guterres’ statement, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called on all donor countries to suspend aid and demand a thorough investigation. “All UNRWA staff were involved in the terrorist attack.” He added in a statement that Guterres’ appeal for continued funding for the agency “proves once again that the safety of the Israeli people is not that important to him.”Israeli government spokesman Eilon Levy told Reuters that the classified intelligence information that led to the suspension of U.S. funding had not yet been declassified to his knowledge, but that an Israeli press conference later in the week He said the meeting will be problem-specific.
Observers and aid workers said the donor move would make hunger even worse. “Donors, please don’t let children go hungry because of the sins of a few aid workers,” said Jan Egeland, general secretary of the Norwegian Refugee Council. UN-appointed food rights expert Michael Fakhri warned that funding cuts would make starvation “inevitable” in Gaza. Even before the conflict, UNRWA was struggling to secure funding and had warned it was on the verge of collapse. Many of its 13,000 staff are refugees themselves, and at least 150 have been killed since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said he was “surprised” by the move to suspend funding to UNRWA, saying it would lead to further suffering for the Palestinian people. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry also called on countries that had suspended funding to reconsider their measures. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of leading a repressive campaign against government institutions. “This campaign aims to solve the Palestinian refugee problem,” he said in a statement. Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said Israel’s charges against UNRWA were a challenge to Friday’s International Court of Justice decision ordering Israel to stop genocide in the Gaza Strip. Norway and Ireland said they would continue funding the agency. “Although I share the concern about the very serious allegations against some UNRWA staff, Norway has decided to continue providing funding. It’s a lifeline for millions of people in the United States,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Bart Eide said on X (formerly Twitter). UNRWA’s role has long been criticized by Israel, which claims it has long supported Hamas, a claim the agency denies. The Israeli right has long called for the abolition of UNRWA, arguing that its educational materials incite anti-Israel sentiment and are designed to create more refugees rather than eliminate refugee status. UNRWA has long refuted allegations of incitement and has said it will act swiftly when allegations of incitement arise. The group explains that its mission is set by the United Nations General Assembly and corresponds to the geopolitical realities in which it operates.
[ad_2]
Source link
