An impartial panel known as on Monday for “speedy enchancment” to take care of neutrality by the United Nations Aid and Works Company for Palestinian Refugees within the Close to East (UNRWA).
The evaluation was ordered after Israel claimed 12 UNRWA support staff might have participated within the October 7 terror assault on southern Israel.
French diplomat Catherine Colonna, who headed the assessment, stated that UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres had appointed the panel to particularly assess UNRWA’s neutrality, not the allegations in opposition to the 12 staff.
Guterres ordered a separate investigation by an inside UN watchdog to observe up on Israel’s accusations.
What are the findings of the UNRWA assessment?
The 54-page report recognized “neutrality-related points” within the implementation of the “strong” procedures UNRWA has in place to “guarantee compliance with the humanitarian ideas of neutrality.”
It cited public political statements by workers, “problematic content material” in class textbooks and the politicization of workers unions as additional considerations.
“Most alleged breaches of neutrality relate to social media posts,” learn the assessment, noting that these have been typically posted within the wake of violent incidents that had affected these people’ colleagues or household.
Different challenges, the assessment discovered, stemmed from the size of Gaza operations and the truth that most personnel have been on the identical time locals receiving UNRWA help.
The report pointed to progress in UNRWA’s capacity to rid its faculties of biased textbooks. Nonetheless, practically 4% of textbooks contained statements referring to Israel because the “Zionist occupation,” or Jerusalem because the Palestinian capital.
The panel made suggestions to enhance neutrality, together with via engagement with donors, neutrality of workers and habits, neutrality of training, and governance.
UNRWA Commissioner Basic Philippe Lazzarini has already stated he would settle for the panel’s suggestions however warned in opposition to what he stated was Israel’s “deliberate and concerted marketing campaign” to interrupt up the group.
UNRWA claims dealing with a deliberate marketing campaign to finish its operations.
Israel ‘but to supply proof’ to again accusations
Colonna stated that Israel had not provided proof to again its claims.
“Israel made public claims {that a} important variety of UNRWA staff are members of terrorist organizations. Nevertheless, Israel has but to supply supporting proof of this,” Colonna advised reporters in New York.
In March, Israel claimed that some 450 UNRWA staff in Gaza have been “terrorists.”
The assessment panel stated that Israel had not beforehand expressed concern over any of the tens of hundreds of names on the UNRWA workers lists it has usually obtained since 2011. UNRWA employs roughly 32,000 folks, 13,000 of them in Gaza.
How did Israel reply?
Israel’s International Ministry known as for donor international locations to desert UNRWA.
“The Colonna report ignores the severity of the issue, and affords beauty options that don’t take care of the large scope of Hamas’ infiltration of UNRWA,” stated ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein.
“The issue with UNRWA-Gaza is not that of some dangerous apples; it’s a rotten and toxic tree whose roots are Hamas,” he stated.
“This isn’t what a real and thorough assessment appears to be like like. That is what an effort to keep away from the issue and never tackle it head on appears to be like like.”
Hamas, the Islamist militant group ruling Gaza, is classed as a terrorist group by Israel, the EU, the US and a number of other Arab states.
Accusations already prompted large donor disruption
Israel’s accusations led worldwide donors to swiftly cap some $450 million (€422 million) in funding for UNRWA, which the panel calls “irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians’ human and financial improvement.”
Most nations have resumed donations, although some, such because the US and UK, proceed to maintain their distance.
The US — UNRWA’s largest donor, giving between $300-$400 million every year — has handed laws locking in a pause on UNRWA funding till a minimum of March 2025
UNRWA was based in 1949 to assist Palestinians who fled or have been expelled through the 1948 warfare. It at present supplies companies to almost 6 million Palestinian refugees.
The evaluation was ordered after Israel claimed 12 UNRWA support staff might have participated within the October 7 terror assault on southern Israel.
French diplomat Catherine Colonna, who headed the assessment, stated that UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres had appointed the panel to particularly assess UNRWA’s neutrality, not the allegations in opposition to the 12 staff.
Guterres ordered a separate investigation by an inside UN watchdog to observe up on Israel’s accusations.
What are the findings of the UNRWA assessment?
The 54-page report recognized “neutrality-related points” within the implementation of the “strong” procedures UNRWA has in place to “guarantee compliance with the humanitarian ideas of neutrality.”
It cited public political statements by workers, “problematic content material” in class textbooks and the politicization of workers unions as additional considerations.
“Most alleged breaches of neutrality relate to social media posts,” learn the assessment, noting that these have been typically posted within the wake of violent incidents that had affected these people’ colleagues or household.
Different challenges, the assessment discovered, stemmed from the size of Gaza operations and the truth that most personnel have been on the identical time locals receiving UNRWA help.
The report pointed to progress in UNRWA’s capacity to rid its faculties of biased textbooks. Nonetheless, practically 4% of textbooks contained statements referring to Israel because the “Zionist occupation,” or Jerusalem because the Palestinian capital.
The panel made suggestions to enhance neutrality, together with via engagement with donors, neutrality of workers and habits, neutrality of training, and governance.
UNRWA Commissioner Basic Philippe Lazzarini has already stated he would settle for the panel’s suggestions however warned in opposition to what he stated was Israel’s “deliberate and concerted marketing campaign” to interrupt up the group.
UNRWA claims dealing with a deliberate marketing campaign to finish its operations.
Israel ‘but to supply proof’ to again accusations
Colonna stated that Israel had not provided proof to again its claims.
“Israel made public claims {that a} important variety of UNRWA staff are members of terrorist organizations. Nevertheless, Israel has but to supply supporting proof of this,” Colonna advised reporters in New York.
In March, Israel claimed that some 450 UNRWA staff in Gaza have been “terrorists.”
The assessment panel stated that Israel had not beforehand expressed concern over any of the tens of hundreds of names on the UNRWA workers lists it has usually obtained since 2011. UNRWA employs roughly 32,000 folks, 13,000 of them in Gaza.
How did Israel reply?
Israel’s International Ministry known as for donor international locations to desert UNRWA.
“The Colonna report ignores the severity of the issue, and affords beauty options that don’t take care of the large scope of Hamas’ infiltration of UNRWA,” stated ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein.
“The issue with UNRWA-Gaza is not that of some dangerous apples; it’s a rotten and toxic tree whose roots are Hamas,” he stated.
“This isn’t what a real and thorough assessment appears to be like like. That is what an effort to keep away from the issue and never tackle it head on appears to be like like.”
Hamas, the Islamist militant group ruling Gaza, is classed as a terrorist group by Israel, the EU, the US and a number of other Arab states.
Accusations already prompted large donor disruption
Israel’s accusations led worldwide donors to swiftly cap some $450 million (€422 million) in funding for UNRWA, which the panel calls “irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians’ human and financial improvement.”
Most nations have resumed donations, although some, such because the US and UK, proceed to maintain their distance.
The US — UNRWA’s largest donor, giving between $300-$400 million every year — has handed laws locking in a pause on UNRWA funding till a minimum of March 2025
UNRWA was based in 1949 to assist Palestinians who fled or have been expelled through the 1948 warfare. It at present supplies companies to almost 6 million Palestinian refugees.
