Germany to Restart UNRWA Funding as Israeli Smear Campaign Collapses — 4 Days Ago

An independent report has revealed Israel failed to provide any evidence to back allegations of UNRWA staff ties with Hamas

Berlin announced on 23 April that it will resume cooperation with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza.

Germany’s move came after an independent investigation headed by former French diplomat Catherine Colonna that found “neutrality-related issues” in implementing UNRWA’s procedures to “ensure compliance with the humanitarian principles of neutrality.”

Colonna’s report made note that Israel provided no proof of whether UNRWA staff were involved with the Palestinian resistance’s Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October.

“The German government has dealt intensively with the allegations made by Israel against UNRWA and has been in close contact with the Israeli government, the United Nations, and other international donors,” a joint statement by the German Foreign Office and the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development read.

The former French diplomat’s investigation proposed reforms to UNRWA to increase the neutrality of staff and behavior, education, and governance, including methods to achieve these goals through engagement with donors.

Germany pushed UNRWA to implement these recommendations, strengthen its internal audit functions, and improve the external surveillance of project management.

“In support of these reforms, the German government will soon continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, as Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Japan, among others, have already done so,” the joint statement continued.

Germany gave the UN agency over $200 million in 2023 and is the organization’s second-largest donor after the US.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said the attacks on the agency “have nothing to do with neutrality issues but in reality, they are motivated by the objective to strip the Palestinians from the refugee status.”

Lazzarini also added that UNRWA was in an “unprecedented crisis,” saying that UNRWA could only keep operations going until the end of June.

An unpublished report by the UN agency showed that some of the employees who were released from Israeli custody were tortured into saying they had Hamas links.

🔗SOURCE ➡️ The Cradle

Related: 4/22 — UN Report Demolishes Israeli Propaganda Campaign Against UNRWA

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3/28 — World Court Orders Israel to Take Action to Address Gaza Famine

3/28 — Israel’s Attempt to Destroy UNRWA is Part of Its Starvation Strategy in Gaza

3/27 — UN Expert Says Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza

3/20 — UN Staff In West Bank Subjected To 'Systematic Harassment' By Israel: Report

3/14 — 🇺🇳🇮🇱🇵🇸🚨‼️ Israeli army received the coordinates of UNRWA facilities yesterday and bombed them today!

3/9 — UNRWA Report Says Israel Coerced Some Agency Employees To Falsely Admit Hamas Links

3/8 — UN Human Rights Chief Deplores New Moves to Expand Israeli Settlements in Occupied West Bank

2/23 — US Intel Has "Low Confidence" in Israeli Claim That 12 UN Staff Participated in Hamas Attack

1/26 — UNRWA Sacks Staffers Who Allegedly Participated In Oct. 7 Attack; US Halts Funding [and Canada]

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