2024-07-23 15:44:11
Britain’s new Labour government has decided to resume funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), citing the critical humanitarian situation in the region. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who took office on July 5, said British aid to Gaza was “a moral imperative in the face of catastrophe”.
Speaking to parliament, Lammy stressed UNRWA’s key role in delivering aid to civilians and said the agency had taken steps to meet “the highest standards of neutrality”. The UK is set to donate £21m to the agency as part of its renewed support.
The move comes amid allegations against UNRWA staff. In January, it emerged that at least 12 of the agency’s employees had been involved in an attack on Israel, and the IDF later accused more than 450 of its employees of terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip. Several countries temporarily froze funding to UNRWA in response to the reports, but in recent months Germany, Finland, Sweden, Australia, Canada and Japan have resumed their donations.
In April, the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services closed its investigation into one UNRWA staff member and suspended investigations into three other alleged participants in the events of 7 October.
Several months ago, the Israel Land Authority notified UNRWA to vacate a government-leased plot of land in Jerusalem’s Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood within 30 days. The letter stated that the agency owed the state NIS 27,125,280 ($7,326,711.19) for exploiting the land without state consent over the past seven years.
In late June, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, speaking in Geneva, announced a concerted effort to dismantle the agency, including legislation that threatens to classify UNRWA as a terrorist organization.
Earlier, Cursor wrote that UNRWA explained how it would function after losing major sponsors.