An independent review of the neutrality of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) found that Israel had not raised any concerns about staff lists received since 2011. The review also highlighted gaps in the agency’s implementation of neutrality principles, including staff expressing political views, questionable textbook content, and union disruptions.
Israel has criticized the United Nations for its handling of Hamas infiltration within the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Foreign Minister Israel Katz alleges that Hamas’ presence has compromised UNRWA’s neutrality and called for its closure. The accusations include over 2,000 UNRWA workers being Hamas members, and 12 alleged participants in an attack against Israel. Katz argues that UNRWA-Gaza is part of the problem, not the solution, and urges donor countries to redirect funds to other organizations. A report commissioned by the UN acknowledged flaws in UNRWA but emphasized the importance of its services to Palestinian refugees.
A UN review of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has found that it has robust frameworks for ensuring compliance with humanitarian neutrality principles. However, issues persist, including staff expressing political views, problematic textbooks, and politicized staff unions. Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence for its claims that a significant number of UNRWA staff are members of terrorist organizations. The report has prompted some donors to review their funding freezes.
An independent review of the U.N. agency assisting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has found that Israel never expressed concerns about staff lists provided to them since 2011. The review was conducted after Israel alleged that 12 UNRWA employees participated in Hamas attacks in October 2022. The report cited serious gaps in implementation of neutrality procedures, including staff expressing political views, problematic textbook content, and union disruptions.
An independent review of the United Nations agency assisting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, found that it has robust procedures for upholding neutrality, but identified gaps in implementation, such as staff expressing political views and unions disrupting operations. One key finding was that Israel never raised concerns about staff lists provided by UNRWA despite allegations of Hamas membership.
An independent review of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has found that Israel has yet to provide evidence to support its claims that a significant number of agency staff are members of terrorist organizations. The review also found that UNRWA has robust policies in place to ensure staff neutrality, although issues persist.
Israel has rejected the findings, saying that they only provide “cosmetic fixes” and reasserting its position that UNRWA is intertwined with Hamas and cannot play a future role in Gaza.
An independent UN review led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has found that Israel has failed to provide credible evidence to support its claims that UNRWA staff were members of “terrorist” groups. The allegations led to a significant funding deficit for UNRWA. Despite the report’s findings, some donor countries, including the US, continue to suspend funding. The review highlights the importance of UNRWA’s work in Gaza, where famine threatens millions due to restricted food convoys.
