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Several states – including Germany – have stopped their payments to the UN Palestinian Relief Agency. What are employees in the Gaza Strip accused of – and why is UNRWA so controversial?
Why is UNRWA currently being criticized?
The Israeli government has provided the UN relief agency with information that twelve of its employees were involved in the attack by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,140 people were killed and around 250 were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Of the twelve accused, nine were immediately released, one is no longer alive and the identity of the other two is currently being determined, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. He announced that the accused would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution. “The despicable actions of these employees must have consequences.”
The United Nations itself has not yet released any further details on the allegations. The news portal Axios quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that intelligence information indicated the “active involvement” of UNRWA employees. In addition, UNRWA vehicles and facilities are said to have been used.
What is UNRWA?
UNRWA was founded in 1949 by the United Nations General Assembly. The aid organization takes care of the needs of Palestinians registered as refugees and their descendants who were displaced or fled in the wake of the founding of the state of Israel in 1948 and the first Arab-Israeli war that followed. The number rose from around 750,000 in 1948 to now 5.9 million people.
The organization, which operates in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, has a United Nations mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees officially registered in its area of operation “until a just and lasting solution to their situation is found “. UNRWA’s offerings range from education, health care and social services to infrastructure, microfinance and emergency aid during armed conflicts.
More than 540,000 Palestinian children study in UNRWA schools. In total, UNRWA manages around 60 so-called refugee camps, including 19 in the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority.
How does UNRWA work in the Gaza Strip?
Of the 30,000 UNRWA employees, 13,000 work in more than 300 facilities in the Gaza Strip alone. According to the UN, of the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, around 1.7 million are registered as refugees. In total there are eight refugee settlements in the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas.
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip was critical long before the war between Israel and Hamas began. According to UN data from August 2023, at that time 63 percent of residents suffered from food insecurity and were in need of international assistance. More than 80 percent lived below the poverty line.
Who pays how much?
In 2022, US aid payments to UNRWA amounted to 344 million US dollars, the second largest donor country was Germany with 202 million, followed by the EU, Sweden, Norway, Japan and France.
Why is UNRWA generally controversial?
Israel has long criticized the aid payments as possible indirect financing of Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA. The country and its Western allies also accuse UNRWA of preventing a solution to the refugee issue and thereby perpetuating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. UNRWA rejects the allegations.
The question is particularly explosive because, from a Palestinian perspective, refugee status is linked to a blanket right of return. Israel rejects this view and sees its existence at risk.
What are the reactions to the latest allegations?
Representatives of the aid agency itself and the United Nations in general were horrified by the possible involvement of employees in the terrorist attack. Internationally, many countries reacted with concern. As a result of the allegations, countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, France, Finland and Italy announced that they would suspend their aid payments. Germany joined the payment freeze. Until the end of the investigation, Germany will temporarily not approve any new funds for UNRWA in the Gaza Strip, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Development (BMZ) announced.
The President of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas, however, accused Israel of a smear campaign against UNRWA with the aim of sweeping the concerns of Palestinian refugees under the table. The terrorist organization Hamas also spoke of a smear campaign by Israel.
Norway and Ireland said they would continue to support the aid organization despite the allegations.
What do the payment stops mean for UNRWA?
UN Secretary-General Guterres appealed to states that have suspended their contributions to reconsider their decision. UNRWA’s current funding is not enough to support the two million civilians in the Gaza Strip in February. He asked to ensure the continuity of UNRWA’s work. The tens of thousands of employees should not be punished. “The urgent needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met.”
Support comes from Turkey: The Foreign Ministry in Ankara said that stopping the funds would primarily harm Palestinian civilians. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry made similar comments.
From the perspective of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, the payment freeze may be illegal. The decision will “result in legal responsibility” and could mean “the end of the international legal system,” Albanese explained on the online service probably their obligations under the Genocide Convention”.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague called for more help for the people in the Gaza Strip on Friday. In a preliminary decision, the highest UN court also called on Israel to do everything in its power to ensure that its military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip does not result in “genocide”. The war between Israel and Hamas has been going on for more than three months – triggered by the Hamas terrorist attack.
With information from AFP