Report says Israel has provided no evidence of Palestinian refugee agency’s ties to Hamas International

An independent study commissioned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in February concluded that Israel has not yet provided evidence showing that employees of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, are linked to Islamist organizations such as Hamas. The Israeli charges filed last January held many local activists responsible – 99% of the agency’s people…

An independent study commissioned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in February concluded that Israel has not yet provided evidence showing that employees of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, are linked to Islamist organizations such as Hamas. Israeli charges drawn up last January accused many local activists – 99% of the agency – of complicity or connections to the brutal October 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza. The agency is the main channel of humanitarian assistance not only for Palestinians in Gaza, but for Palestinian refugee communities throughout the region.

According to the investigation, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonnade and presented this Monday in New York, “Israel has not yet provided evidence to prove these allegations”. These criticisms have led several major donor countries, led by the United States, to suspend their funding at a time when Palestinians in Gaza are in urgent need of help. He also dismissed many agency employees as a precautionary measure. Most major donors, such as Canada, have resumed funding in recent weeks. The United Kingdom was awaiting the report’s findings before making a decision. The case of the United States is different: on 22 March, Congress permanently froze financial assistance to UNRWA.

The suspension of financing by the 16 member states amounts to approximately $450 million (approximately 420 million euros), which is more necessary than ever when the humanitarian situation in the Strip is worsening every minute. Member States requested more information about what happened, as well as strengthening existing neutrality mechanisms and procedures at UNRWA, including investigation and supervision of staff. In parallel to the assessment conducted by Colonna in collaboration with three renowned human rights institutions – the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Chris Michelson Institute and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the United Nations Office of Internal Affairs conducts its own investigation to determine the veracity of these allegations. In.”

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The report concludes that UNRWA has regularly provided Israel with lists of its staff, along with their respective identity cards, for verification, and notes: “The Israeli Foreign Ministry reported that by March 2024 they would be required to receive Palestinian identity cards. List of personnel without numbers was received (ID, identity card). Based on the March 2024 list, which included Palestinian identification numbers, Israel made public claims that a large number of personnel were members of terrorist organizations. However, despite repeated requests for “names and evidence that would allow UNRWA to launch an investigation”, Israel has not provided evidence to prove this.

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The report finds that UNRWA has established a significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with humanitarian principles, with an emphasis on the principle of neutrality, and compared to other similar UN entities or NGOs operating in the region. Its approach to independence is more developed. , UNRWA’s neutrality framework was established in 2017 and covers key areas including the impartiality of its staff, use of social media; of facilities; of assets (especially vehicles) and other areas related to operations.

However, the text highlights that problems related to neutrality remain, such as “cases of staff publicly expressing political opinions, host country textbooks with problematic content being used in some UNRWA schools. and political staff unions say that “they threaten UNRWA leadership and cause operational disruption.” , Over the years, political factions have used agency employee unions to put pressure on their management and influence decisions about service delivery or project execution. “Politicization of employee unions is considered one of the most sensitive neutrality issues and should be addressed with the full support of the Advisory Commission,” the document said. Another point of concern is staff’s misuse of curriculum and agency facilities.

The text makes a detailed list of recommendations to improve transparency and neutrality mechanisms that avoid or at least limit these cases, although it notes the challenges posed by the operational, political and security environments in which it operates. Is. “Given the specificity of this political context, these measures will only have a significant impact with the support of the host countries, Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” he stressed.

Between 2017 and 2022, the annual number of alleged neutrality violations ranged from 7 to 55, with an average of 21 alleged violations per year. Since October 2023, the number has increased significantly, but the allegations prompted Guterres to establish this independent neutrality review in view of the very serious reputational, financial, political and security implications of such allegations. Between January 2022 and February 2024, the investigation division received 151 complaints regarding impartiality violations. Most relate to publications on social networks, made public by external sources.

As of April 2024, 50 neutrality cases were under investigation. The investigation led by Colonna highlights existing capacity issues in managing the volume of complaints through existing structures and staff. “Resources are scarce,” he concluded. Implementing all the recommendations proposed by the independent report, when more than a million people lack shelter and have practically no food, will be a difficult task, Colonna agrees.

In the absence of a political solution between Israel and the Palestinians, UNRWA remains instrumental in providing humanitarian assistance and essential social services, particularly health and education, to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank. Thus, “UNRWA is irreplaceable and indispensable for the human and economic development of Palestinians. Moreover, many see the agency as a humanitarian lifeline,” the document said.

The organization’s own Secretary-General, as well as its spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, and the person responsible for the report, spoke in similar terms today at the press conference at which it was presented. UNRWA “plays an indispensable role in the region as the lifeline of humanitarian assistance and the provision of basic services to the population (…) Within the UN structure, its role is capital,” Colonna stressed. Therefore, “the international community has a responsibility to support UNRWA.” Dujarric described the report as a “roadmap”. The former French Foreign Minister also pointed out that the implementation of all the recommendations, which are “concrete and feasible”, may require additional financing. Dujarric’s spokesman said, “Countries, like people, sometimes change their minds and we await the return of donors” who had canceled their financial support of the agency.

The independent team conducted field and facility visits in Amman, Jerusalem and the West Bank, and met with various stakeholders, including officials from donor member states, host countries, Israel, the Palestinian National Authority, Egypt, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. The evaluators conducted meetings and interviews with more than 200 people, including UNRWA staff in Gaza. Direct contact was established with 47 countries and organizations.

The UN Secretary-General has accepted the comprehensive list of content in the report and has agreed with Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, to establish an action plan to promote it. Guterres called on all stakeholders, from donor countries to staff, to actively support UNRWA as it is “a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region.”

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