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SvennoJ on 28 January 2024
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France joining the axis of shame

France becomes latest nation to suspend funding for UN agency in Gaza over allegations against staff

France has “no plans to make a further payment in the first half of 2024” to the United Nations relief agency in Gaza, its foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday. The ministry pointed to the accusations by Israel that some UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staff members were involved in the Hamas attacks on October 7 of last year, calling the allegations "exceptionally serious." 

France had contributed nearly 60 million euros (around $65 million) to UNRWA in 2023.

https://tradingeconomics.com/france/exports/israel/arms-ammunition-parts-accessories

France joins these other donor nations in pausing financial support for UNWRA in light of the allegations:

  • United States
  • Germany
  • Canada
  • Italy
  • United Kingdom
  • Netherlands
  • Switzerland
  • Australia
  • Finland

UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. 13,000 workers in Gaza, 30,000 workers total.
https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/unrwa%E2%80%99s-lifesaving-aid-may-end-due-funding-suspension

UN Secretary-General says 9 UNRWA staff members fired over allegations

Of the 12 staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) allegedly involved in the deadly October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, nine have been fired, one killed and the identities of two others are "being clarified," UN Secretary-General António Guterres said.

"The United Nations is taking swift action following the extremely serious allegations against several UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff members," Guterres said Sunday, adding the UN's oversight body has already launched an investigation and an independent review is forthcoming. "Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution," the secretary-general said.

He urged countries, however, to continue financial assistance to the UNRWA that supports 2 million Gazans who depend on the "critical aid" for "daily survival," warning the agency's current funding "will not allow it to meet all requirements to support them in February."

In the wake of the allegations against the UNRWA, nine countries have so far paused funding for the main UN agency in Gaza.
"While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations - I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations," Guterres said."

"The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met," he said.

 

UN special rapporteur slams Israel’s attempts to defund UNRWA

Francesca Albanese has said that defunding UNRWA at this critical time “overtly defies” the ICJ’s recent ruling, namely its order to allow effective humanitarian assistance “to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in Gaza”.

“This will entail legal responsibilities – or the demise of the international legal system,” she said.

Gunness noted the UN agency only has weeks before it runs out of money for its crucial aid work to save Palestinian lives in Gaza. “My message to the Arab world, particularly to the Gulf, is where are you? Because they’re making billions each day on oil revenues. A tiny fraction of those oil revenues would see UNRWA’s financial problems disappear overnight. This unconscionable gap inflicted by these Western countries would be filled very quickly,” Gunness told Al Jazeera.

“Some of the most desperate people in the Middle East are now facing starvation, they’re facing famine, and the Arab states need to step up to the plate.”


The decision to suspend aid to the UN Palestinian refugee agency by many Western countries is “collective punishment”, the head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) says. The comments by Philippe Lazzarini were echoed by UN chief Antonio Guterres who joined him in urging donor nations to maintain much-needed Gaza aid.

Israeli protesters again block aid trucks from entering Gaza at border crossing


People protest the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza on January 28, in Kerem Shalom, Israel. Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

Hundreds of Israeli protesters on Sunday blocked aid trucks from driving into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, demanding that hostages held in Gaza are freed before any more aid is delivered into the Strip, CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson reports from the scene.

The protests have been ongoing for days and were organized by families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. On Sunday, the protesters again blocked the convoys, despite an expectation that Israeli police would clear the protests to allow the crossing to operate, Robertson reports. The aid trucks, however, remain parked a few hundred meters from the protesters.

On Wednesday, only nine trucks crossed into Gaza via Kerem Shalom due to the protests, while the crossing remained closed Thursday and Friday due to protesters blocking access, according to Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). The border was closed Saturday for Shabbat.

United Nations officials have warned of the repercussions of declining humanitarian access in parts of Gaza and the blocking of aid at the crossing, saying famine is looming in the enclave and hospitals are in dire shape.

Starving the hostages doesn't seem like a good plan to get them back