UNRWA in turmoil. The United Nations relief and works agency for Palestine refugees in the Middle East, at the heart of humanitarian aid in Gaza, announced on Friday January 26 that it had separated from several of its employees, accused of be involved in the bloody October 7 attack perpetrated by Hamas on Israeli soil.
After this announcement, several Western countries decided to suspend any further aid to the agency. This was notably requested by several countries to carry out a “thorough investigation into these accusations”. For its part, the Palestinian Authority considered that the program needed“maximum support” And “not that we cut off support and assistance”. Franceinfo takes stock of the controversy which taints the UN body.
1 What is UNRWA?
Established at the end of December 1949 by the UN General Assembly, the agency is an essential worker for millions of Palestinians. It was created after the outbreak of the first Arab-Israeli conflict, following the creation of the Jewish state in May 1948. More than 700,000 Palestinians then fled their lands between April and August 1948. An episode they call the “Nakba”, or catastrophe in Arabic.
The agency has since been mandated to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees.”while waiting for a just and lasting solution to their situation.”. In addition to the Palestinian territories, UNRWA operates in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. It is, by default, the sole guarantor of the international status of these refugees.
UNRWA has more than 30,000 employees, most of them Palestinian refugees themselves. “and a small number of international staff, spread across two central offices (Gaza and Amman), five field offices (Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the West Bank) and four representative offices (New York, Geneva, Brussels and Cairo )”we can read on the agency’s website.
In total, some 5.9 million Palestinians are registered with this program, allowing them to benefit from numerous services in education, health care, social services or emergency assistance, including in times of armed conflict. More than 540,000 children study in the agency’s 706 schools, which also manages around 60 refugee camps, including 19 in the occupied West Bank.
2 What are the accusations against the agency?
In a press release published on his website Friday, UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazarini announced his decision to part ways with several agency employees. “Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information on the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks against Israel on October 7”he declared, without providing further details on the number of employees concerned, nor on the precise facts with which they were accused.
“In order to protect the Agency’s ability to provide humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and open an investigation to establish the truth without delay” added Philippe Lazarini, ensuring that “any UNRWA employee involved in acts of terrorism will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution”.
3 Which countries have suspended their funding?
Minutes after the agency’s announcement, Washington announced “to suspend temporarily” any additional funding to the UN agency. The United States said to itself:extremely concerned by accusations that 12 UNRWA employees may have been involved in the attack”, the State Department said in a statement. Anthony Blinken, head of American diplomacy, spoke with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to “highlight the need for a rapid investigation into this matter”highlighted his services.
After the United States, other donors such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Italy, Finland and France also withdrew. Antonio Guterres on Sunday called on countries that had suspended their donations to “at least guarantee” the continuation of the agency’s operations, essential to two million Gazan civilians. France “has not planned a new payment in the first half of the year”announced the same day the deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and “will decide when the time comes what course of action to take”. Norway and Ireland, for their part, showed their support for UNRWA, declaring that funding would continue.
For its part, Switzerland announced on Saturday that no decision concerning the payment of its aid to UNRWA would be taken, pending “more information”. A caution shared by France, which simply said it had “took note with dismay of the information communicated (…) by UNRWA”, without specifying its position on financial aid to the agency. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, finally said he was waiting “full transparency” and “immediate measures” before any decision.
The stakes are high for the program, financed almost entirely by voluntary donations from States. Among its main donors in 2022 were, in order, the United States, Germany, the European Union, Sweden and Norway, the agency indicates on its site. LFunds from the regular budget of the United Nations and contributions from other UN entities amounted to $44.6 million (41 million euros) in the same year. France is in seventh place in the ranking of donors, with nearly 27 million euros paid in 2022. On Saturday, the agency did not react to announcements of suspension of funds.
4 What future for the agency?
On Saturday, Israel said it no longer wanted UNRWA to play any role in Gaza after the conflict. The Israeli government wants to ensure that the agency “will not be part” of the post-war solution in this Palestinian territory, indicated Israel Katz, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, hoping “put an end to” all its activities. The diplomat called on other UNRWA donors to follow the withdrawal movement and favor agencies “sincerely dedicated to peace and development”.
After welcoming the withdrawal of certain donors, the leader of the Israeli opposition Yair Lapid estimated X that the time had come to “create an alternative that will not educate generations of Palestinians in hatred”. Hamas demanded in a statement “the United Nations and international organizations not to give in to threats and blackmail”accusing Israel of wanting “cut off funds and deprive” the Gazans of any international aid.
The case came to light on Friday, just after the UN’s highest court called on Israel to prevent any possible act of “genocide” in Gaza. A “temporality which necessarily questions”estimated Johann Soufi, international lawyer and former director of the UNRWA legal office in Gaza. “Sanctioning UNRWA, which has difficulty keeping the entire population of Gaza alive, for the alleged responsibility of a few employees, amounts to collectively punishing the Gazan population who live in catastrophic humanitarian conditions”he alerted AFP.