Tel Aviv is concerned that the US and UK may also change their minds and start sponsoring a UN body since France, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Japan, and now Germany have resumed funding following Israel’s phony accusations, according to Israeli media.
Israel’s Haaretz daily stated that top authorities have admitted the failure of an Israeli sabotage effort against worldwide funding for the UN organization for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA.
“Several countries have announced over the past few weeks that they will renew the funding to UNRWA which they froze at the start of Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza in the wake of Israeli claims that the organisation was cooperating with [the Palestinian group] Hamas,” according to the daily.
“In recent days, the Israeli campaign against UNRWA has received a series of blows, including an announcement by Germany, one of Israel’s main supporters, of its intention to resume funding for the agency which it froze last January.”
Germany’s decision followed the announcement on Monday by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna of the findings of an inquiry into Israeli claims that twelve UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas raid on October 7 that was carried out at UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ request.
The impartiality of UNRWA
The Independent Investigative Group stated that “Israel has yet to provide evidence” for its related charges against UNRWA employees.
The report produced by the committee comprised numerous field visits and interactions with different stakeholders in multiple regions.
Under Colonna’s direction, the group began work on February 13 and provided insight into the examination of UNRWA’s compliance with the principle of neutrality.
The report placed special focus on UNRWA’s impartiality, noting that the organization has put in place a number of processes and procedures to safeguard humanitarian values.
According to Haaretz, “political sources in Israel have acknowledged in talks with foreign diplomats in recent days that Jerusalem had not succeeded in influencing the report in the way it had had hoped and that it is clear following the report’s publication that other countries will join Germany and renew funding for the agency.”
“The most significant nations to date that have chosen to continue funding UNRWA are France, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Spain, and Japan; the majority of these decisions were made prior to the release of the Colonna report.”
According to Haaretz, Israel’s primary concern is that the US and UK, which are currently its two biggest allies on the global stage, may change their minds and resume funding the UN organization.
“The failure was not in the field of public relations and communications but rather stemmed from the lack of a convincing alternative to UNRWA,” an Israeli official involved in the political efforts to cease funding for the agency was reported in the newspaper.
“Israel managed to raise doubts about UNRWA among its friends around the world but did not present suitable alternatives to the agency,” the journal said, citing the identity of this person, whose name was withheld.
Israel’s argument is not strong enough
A diplomat from one of the European nations that restored money for UNRWA was also mentioned by Haaretz as stating that his government’s choice was motivated by two factors.
“The evidence presented by Israel (within the framework of its accusations against UNRWA) was not convincing, and it did not sufficiently prove that this was a widespread phenomenon,” the diplomat—whose identity the journal withheld—explained.
“As the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorated in recent months, it became clear that there was no immediate alternative to UNRWA,” he stated.
“EU countries are in agreement that support for UNRWA should continue in the current situation, despite Israel’s claims,” he emphasized.
Since January, when Israel accused some UNRWA workers of having ties to Hamas, the organization has faced obstacles in carrying out its mandate.
The agency’s relief operations for Gaza’s famine-stricken people has suffered as a result of numerous countries cutting off financing to it during an investigation into the claims.
In response to the accusations, at least 18 nations first withheld financing from the organization.
More than 70 years ago, the UN General Assembly established UNRWA to aid Palestinians who had been forcibly removed from their land.
Millions of Palestinian refugees in besieged Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and other regions with sizable Palestinian populations are helped greatly by the organization.All rights reserved.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
