Israel admitting to more lies
Israeli officials admit that campaign to kill UNRWA funding has failed: Report
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the country’s government has admitted defeat in its efforts to keep international funding away from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
This news comes after Germany announced today that it would restore its funding to the agency, which it froze in January amid allegations by Israel that UNRWA staff had participated in the October 7 attacks on Israel. This week, a report from Catherine Colonna, former French foreign minister, discredited the Israeli allegations.
“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 hoped,” Haaretz reported.
“An Israeli source involved in the diplomatic effort to halt funding to UNRWA told Haaretz that the failure was not in the field of public relations and communications, but rather stemmed from the lack of a convincing alternative to UNRWA,” it added.
Yesterday, Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, told Al Jazeera that Israel’s campaign to discredit and defund the organisation had led to it facing an “unprecedented” crisis. UNRWA plays a vital role in distributing desperately needed aid inside Gaza, where thousands are facing famine.
Germany says it will resume coordination with UNWRA in Gaza
The move comes as an independent probe earlier this week said that Israel did not provide any evidence after alleging that some UNWRA staff had collaborated with Hamas during the October 7 attack. The review, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, made some recommendations on toughening up safeguards in certain areas.
“Against this background and in support of these reforms, the Federal Government will shortly continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, as Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan, among others, have already done,” a statement from the Germany’s Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development read.
“By continuing our acute cooperation, we are supporting UNRWA’s vital and currently irreplaceable role in providing aid to the people of Gaza, as other international aid organisations are also currently dependent on UNRWA’s operational structures in Gaza.”
Israel’s accusations had led to 16 donor countries suspending or pausing funding to the refugee agency, leaving it with a funding gap of some $450m.
Next halt your arms trade with Israel. Sending aid to those you help get bombed, displaced and starved is like sending a get well card to those you didn't manage to murder out right.
Arab League demands restoration of UNWRA funding after report
The league’s Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit says an independent review of the UN Palestinian refugee agency shows Israel’s allegations were baseless and part of a “systematic campaign” to close it down.
Aboul Gheit urged all countries that suspended funding to urgently resume financial assistance to UNRWA, calling it a “humanitarian necessity and a moral duty”. He specifically urged UNRWA’s largest donor, the United States, to reconsider.
The independent probe earlier this week found Israeli provided no evidence for its allegations that some UNWRA staff collaborated with Hamas during the October 7 attack.
Biden signed it into law that UNWRA can't be funded anymore until 2025 at least
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-gaza-government-funding-deal-includes-ban-on-u-s-aid-to-unrwa-until-2025-sources/
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/03/25/u-s-bans-unrwa-funding-for-one-year/
UNRWA: ‘High-risk’ aid delivery made to Jabalia
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), along with the UN children’s fund (UNICEF), have completed a joint aid delivery mission to Jabalia in northern Gaza, according to the UNRWA.
The delivery on Tuesday brought “life-saving medical and water-purification” supplies to residents of Jabalia, said the UNRWA, where aid shortages are among the worst in the enclave.
While aid delivery to all of Gaza has been challenging, getting supplies into the north has been especially strained due to tight Israeli movement restrictions and military operations.
Yesterday, @UNRWA & @UNICEF jointly undertook a high-risk mission to North #Gaza to provide life-saving medical & water-purification aid to people in Jabalia.@UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian effort, bringing life-saving assistance to people across the #GazaStrip pic.twitter.com/aSEfgYtrt1
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) April 24, 2024
Last edited by SvennoJ - on 24 April 2024
