Israeli officials have long complained that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which runs aid programs for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, is closely allied with Hamas. But accusations that aid workers were members of the organization – whose fighters killed 1,200 people and captured more than 250 others in the raid on Israel – threatened the existence of the main channel for delivering aid to millions of people in Gaza whose lives were turned upside down after the war. Nearly four months of war.
Israeli officials did not provide UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini with any piece of paper to take, but the evidence they presented was convincing enough that it convinced Lazzarini to fire nine of the alleged participants, some of whom worked as school teachers. By the aid agency, according to people familiar with the matter, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations and sensitive diplomatic negotiations. Some of the Hamas members and the 12 alleged conspirators were later said to have been killed.
Officials said the United States has not independently verified Israel's claims, which are based on intercepted communications, phone location data, interrogations of Hamas fighters and documents found by the Israeli military in Gaza. The Washington Post reviewed a document containing the names, UN positions and alleged roles of 12 individuals in Hamas, which was shared with the United States and other governments, but was unable to confirm the information.
The evidence provided by Israel in particular convinced the United States and eight other donor countries to stop funding UNRWA, a decision that other aid groups warned jeopardized the safety and well-being of civilians in Gaza who depend on UN relief and aid. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken described the Israeli information as “highly credible.”
Whether the funding tap can be reopened now depends on the United Nations conducting a credible investigation, according to officials in the United States, UNRWA's largest single funder.
After his meeting with Israeli officials, Lazzarini headed to Washington and met with members of the Biden administration. He told them what the Israelis had said, and explained the actions he had taken in response to what he later described publicly as “shocking allegations.”
By Wednesday, the White House and State Department had been briefed by UNRWA on the Israeli claims. The next day, the administration received from the Israeli government a dossier containing several pages of accusations, including that Hamas had long used the aid agency to “promote terrorist attacks” and that “mutual dependence” had formed between the two organizations. The Washington Post obtained a copy of the document.
Within hours, officials at the National Security Council and State Department decided to halt funding to UNRWA, a senior US official familiar with the matter said.
But officials in Washington and Jerusalem acknowledge that there is no practical alternative to UNRWA in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, a task that Israeli officials do not want. But they must assume or risk violating international law, which requires an occupying power to ensure that captive populations have access to basic services.
Following a closed meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday morning, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, told reporters that “there must be accountability for anyone who participated in this attack on October 7.” She said that the United States “has reached out to the Israeli government to obtain more information about these allegations.”
“They are taking it very seriously,” she said of the UN agency.
At the same time, she said: “We should not let that overshadow the great work that UNRWA is doing,” describing it as “the only organization on the ground that has the capacity to continue providing that assistance.” “Their staff have done an exceptional job – they have literally saved thousands of lives, and it is unfortunate that this information has raised some doubts about UNRWA.”
The Biden administration continues to view UNRWA as an essential provider of humanitarian relief to Gaza, as well as to Palestinians in the West Bank and refugees in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region. Its mandate, established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, also includes the operation of schools and medical clinics – almost all of which have been closed and converted into shelters that now house more than a million people in Gaza who depend almost entirely on UNRWA for their humanitarian needs. Necessities of life.
But the seriousness of the Israeli accusations forced the Biden administration to act, according to American officials.
Pro-Israel conservatives in Washington have for years objected to United Nations criticism of Israeli human rights violations in the Palestinian territories, accusing the international body and its agencies – especially UNRWA – of anti-Semitism.
“With all due respect to the President, this was a long-overdue response,” Rep. Chris Smith (R.N.J.) said Tuesday during his opening remarks to a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing titled “Exposing UNRWA: An Examination of the Agency’s Mission and Failures.”
“There has long been enormous and irrefutable evidence of UNRWA’s widespread complicity and cooperation in Hamas’ anti-Semitic campaign of hatred and genocide,” Smith said, attributing the administration’s decision to withhold funding to the findings by Israel, as well as “pressure “General”.
A senior US official said that by halting support, Washington aims, at least for the time being, to force the agency to conduct a comprehensive investigation, or risk permanently losing funding from Western governments whose donations are essential to its survival.
“We really want their work to continue, but we can only continue to fund it if the world sees that UNRWA has conducted a credible investigation,” the senior official said. “This provides more incentives to [U.N. leadership] “To do this quickly, and if there are any other steps they need to take, they need to take those steps as well.”
In the short term, Israeli officials may view the allegations as a useful way to discredit an institution they have long distrusted, but they may also use the incident to launch a more aggressive long-term campaign against UNRWA, seeking to replace it. “With an alternative organization,” the senior American official said.
The Biden administration has taken pains to stress that there is currently no alternative to the vital work the agency provides.
“UNRWA continues to play an absolutely indispensable role in trying to ensure that the men, women and children who need assistance most in Gaza actually get it, and no one else can play the role that UNRWA is playing, and certainly not in the near future.” Blinken said on Monday.
On the same day, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby sought to mitigate some of the criticism of the organization, noting that the allegations concerned only a small portion of the more than 13,000 people the organization employs in Gaza.
“Let's not impugn the good work done by an entire agency because of the potential misconduct of a small number here,” Kirby told reporters at the White House.
A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres detailed a set of steps the organization is taking.
“The Secretary-General is personally horrified by the accusations against UNRWA staff, but his message to donors, especially those who have suspended their contributions, is to at least ensure the continuity of UNRWA operations, as we have tens of thousands of dedicated staff working throughout the country,” said Stephane Dujarric. Region”.
“The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met. At this point, the outlook for UNRWA and the millions of people it serves, not only in Gaza but also in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, is extremely bleak,” he said.
Dujarric said that the United Nations intends to conduct two investigations related to UNRWA. One, the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, will hold accountable any staff member involved in terrorist acts, “including through criminal prosecution,” Dujarric said.
Dujarric said the second investigation, which Lazzarini began on January 17 but has not yet begun, will look broadly into what the UN agency is doing. He added that the head of the agency opened the investigation “because it is no secret that there is a lot of support from UNRWA, but there is also some criticism,” indicating that UN officials understood that the agency was being subjected to political criticism amid the war. .
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday that the United States typically provides between $300 million and $400 million annually to UNRWA. Since October 1, The United States provided about $121 million.
The funding suspension announced last week applies to an additional $300,000 that the United States planned to provide. Miller said the United States would likely provide millions of additional dollars to UNRWA in the current fiscal year in the absence of a funding cut, but he said he could not provide a specific number until lawmakers conclude budget negotiations.
In response to a question about when the Biden administration will make a decision on resuming aid or continuing the suspension, Thomas-Greenfield, the UN ambassador, indicated that donor countries were meeting on Tuesday afternoon with Guterres “to discuss with him the way forward.” But we want to ensure the continued flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.”
“We need to look at the organization, how it operates in Gaza, how it manages its staff, and make sure that people who commit criminal acts, like these 12 individuals, are held accountable immediately so that UNRWA can continue the essential work that it is,” Thomas-Greenfield said. Do it.”
Abigail Hauslohner contributed to this report.
