Serious allegations against UNRWA staff in the Gaza Strip

[Richard D]

Source: Reuters

GENEVA, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday it had opened an investigation into several employees suspected of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas and that it had severed ties with those staff members.

"The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7," said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General.

"To protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay."
Lazzarini did not disclose the number of employees allegedly involved in the attacks, nor the nature of their alleged involvement. He said, however, that "any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror" would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-palestinian-refugee-agency-investigates-staff-suspected-role-israel-attacks-2024-01-26/

---

This is updated to reflect appearance in Reuters

[TeamProg]

1. What is the source of the allegations? Is this really LBN?

[Richard D]

3. Here is is from Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-palestinian-refugee-agency-investigates-staff-suspected-role-israel-attacks-2024-01-26/

[TeamProg]

4. Um, yes, but where did the Israeli authorities get this alleged info? "The Israeli authorities have provided

"The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of…”

[LeftInTX]

7. US Dept of State: Statement on UNRWA Allegations

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.

https://www.state.gov/statement-on-unrwa-allegations/

[TeamProg]

8. That's not an answer to where the allegations originate, right?

[LeftInTX]

9. Don't have the answer, but they have been fired: UN agency fires staff members allegedly involved in October 7 attack

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency is “immediately” terminating the contracts of UNRWA staff members allegedly involved in the October 7 attacks on Israel, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Friday.

Lazzarini said Israeli authorities provided the UN’s agency for Palestine refugees “with information” alleging several UNRWA employees participated in Hamas’ murderous rampage into southern Israel, when the militant group killed at least 1,200 people and abducted more than 250 others.

An investigation is being launched into the alleged involvement of the employees and those involved will be held accountable “including through criminal prosecution,” added Lazzarini. The commissioner-general said he made the decision in order to protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian aid.

In the wake of the allegations on Friday, the US State Department announced it had “temporarily paused additional funding” to UNRWA. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to “emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said in a statement.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/26/middleeast/unrwa-fires-staff-members-october-7-attacks-intl/index.html

______________

Keep in mind, UNRWA hires locally.
It's entirely possible that there are some Hamas members.
Hamas runs Gaza.

[LeftInTX]

10. UNRWA has 13,000 Gaza employees

It is one of their largest employers.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/26/world/middleeast/un-aid-israel-oct-7-attacks.html

[Richard D]

2. The source is directly from UNRWA

Pretty much in the moment. It should be in the press quite soon if not already. If/when it gets in a major periodical, I'll add that in as the source.

But yes, I would definitely consider this LBN and a significant development,

[LeftInTX]

5. US pauses funding for UNRWA after staff accused of involvement in October 7 massacres

The United States is troubled by allegations that 12 UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and has temporarily paused funding, the State Department says.

“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,” spokesperson Matthew Miller says.

“There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7,” he adds.





https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-pauses-funding-for-unrwa-after-staff-accused-of-involvement-in-october-7-massacres/

[Richard D]

6. Thank you.

There have been allegations against UNRWA for some time, especially in the type of educational materials and curriculum provided in Gaza schools. I do not know what the upshot of this report has been, but it is highly concerning. I do not doubt (nor confirm) that UNRWA has done good work there, but there seems to be a level of corruption that needs to be dealt with:

" Report on UNRWA’s Misuse of US Funds To Incite Hate To Be Presented on Hill
Debbie Mohnblatt
11/06/2023

"Schools run by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, have for years been teaching a curriculum that incites extreme anti-Semitism and glorifies violence, and the link with the Oct. 7 massacres is clear, report finds

A report detailing the connection between education received in UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip and the Oct. 7 massacres carried out by Hamas in Israel will be presented to Congress on Wednesday.

The 123-page report was released by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education, known as IMPACT-SE, an Israeli NGO that analyses school textbooks and teaching curriculums to determine whether they conform with international standards derived from UNESCO’s declarations and resolutions, with the aim of preventing the radicalization of children and encouraging tolerance, pluralism, and peaceful conflict resolution.

According to the report, titled “UNRWA Education: Textbooks and Terror,” education takes up 58% of the budget of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. It says that UNRWA operates 183 schools in the Gaza Strip, catering to more than 286,000 students, and those schools use the Palestinian Authority’s curriculum, which is taught across the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem."

https://themedialine.org/top-stories/report-on-unrwas-misuse-of-us-funds-to-incite-hate-to-be-presented-on-hill/

[moniss]

12. Do we have an

independent evaluation of the Palestinian curriculum and the Israeli curriculum? I would only make a judgement if I saw one. The ones I have found are a mixed bag for both sides and partly because of lack of cooperation. But it should be noted that there is a long history for these parties trying to rewrite or obliterate the factual history of the other. Is the full unvarnished truth taught in all schools? Not likely. Doesn't happen in the US either. US history books in the 1950's had notoriously false representations of our conduct towards indigenous peoples for example. Our textbooks were laughable with respect to their portrayal of our world conduct.

Sometimes the political indoctrination and slant occurs outside the "official school" also in order to allow a claim of clean hands. Studies have shown that ultra-Orthodox schools for instance have differences from "state schools". Netanyahu himself decreed the word Nakba to be banned from Israeli textbooks. Nobody could possibly understand the depth of the Palestinian feelings about displacement without it. Is hindering that understanding the actual goal of Netanyahu? When both sides refuse to use maps which show the villages and places of the other what possible positive purpose can either claim for such an act?

Claims that textbooks prove one side or the other is unfit have a long history here and there is little doubt those claims are part of the "reasoning" for claiming the Palestinians aren't "ready" for statehood. The kind of ploy heard before in other scenarios around the world about this or that group not being "ready" while a status quo serving mostly one side continues for decades.

Hasbara can bring enlightenment to the facts and truth and it can also be a program for propaganda, deception and everything between the former and the latter. I stand by my long and often repeated condemnation of all sides and their supporters around the world for showing long histories of deception and violence towards each other. The idea that they will use their children in this way is of no surprise to me because none of the sides or their supporters have ever shown that there is a level of conduct so low that they will not find another even lower.

[moniss]

11. So did we suspend funding

when allegations of impropriety by the IDF have been made? No. Did we do so when various allegations over the years have been proven? No. So by cutting off aid we are helping to strangle the supply of food, water and medicine. Nice look for us. Real nice. Maybe if we were a bit more even handed the balance of the world might accept our claims of being an "honest arbiter for peace" because right now what we have for one side is harsh actions based only on allegations by one side while allegations against that side are met only with words of "concern" and words of "demands" and words of "must". One hell of an "honest arbiter for peace". That's where we are.

So is it any surprise that the countries of Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia etc. look at us and bust out laughing in our face when we speak our words to them about our "good intentions" for them? Pretty tough to make the claim of the moral high ground when the "yardstick for action and rules" is so inconsistently applied that it's use is worthless and the words we use about it are rendered laughable. We do this to ourselves.

It is entirely possible that these current allegations have foundation and truth. But make no mistake that all sides in this have a very, very long history of making false allegations against each other and one needs only to look at their various attacks on the villages of each other throughout the Mandate and after. Some claims true on each side but also many false claims.

So deal with the allegations and do an investigation but realize that to one side you have shown words and action and to the other side only words. So if the allegations are found to be true then action is correct. But it seems to be too much to ask the "honest arbiter for peace" to follow all proven allegations with actions.

I have stated many times before that I condemn the conduct of all parties and their supporters for their conduct towards each other throughout the many decades. This action is just another example of why.