Mon 05 February 2024:
“Antonio Guterres, in consultation Philippe Lazzarini, has appointed an independent review group to assess whether UNRWA is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious breaches,” a UN spokesperson said in a statement.
Several Western countries have suspended funding for UNRWA, sparking criticism from rights advocates who say that weakening the agency will deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
UNRWA chief welcomes appointment of independent panel to review agency
“I welcome the appointment by UN Secretary-General of an independent review group to assess how UNRWA ensures neutrality and responds to allegations of serious breaches. I look forward to the conclusion & recommendations of the report which will be made public,” Lazzarini said in a social media post.
“This independent external review will take place in parallel with an investigation currently underway by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services.”
The review panel comes in response to Israeli allegations that UNRWA employees participated in Hamas’s October 7 attacks in Israel. Several Western countries, led by the US, suspended funding to the agency in response to the accusation.
But Palestinian rights advocates have accused Israel of targeting UNRWA to worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israel says it will share evidence of UNRWA ‘terrorism’ ties
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has welcomed the UN’s appointment of an independent panel to investigate UNRWA and reiterated calls for the agency’s leader, Philippe Lazzarini, to resign.
Israel has sought the dismantlement of the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees for years. UNRWA has said Israel has not shared any evidence to back up claims that some UNRWA workers are Hamas members.
“Congratulations to the UN on forming the investigative committee. We will submit all evidence highlighting UNRWA’s ties to terrorism and its harmful effects on regional stability,” Katz said in a social media post.
On Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that defunding UNRWA – which delivers life-saving services to millions of Palestinians – poses a risk to regional stability and amounts to collective punishment.
US says it will divert UNRWA funds to ‘other partners’
A White House-backed Senate bill released on Sunday would bar US aid to UNRWA.
Asked whether the Biden administration is committed to funding UNRWA, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said: “Obviously, there is text in this pending legislation that would preclude us from doing so.”
The bill, which includes more than $14bn in assistance to Israel, has bipartisan support, but it is not clear when it would be put forward for a vote.
Patel said the US will divert aid for Palestinian civilians to “other partners” and bypass UNRWA even as UN officials emphasise that the agency plays an indispensable role in humanitarian work in Gaza and across the region.
The US has already suspended funding for UNRWA after allegations by Israel that a handful of agency employees took part in the October 7 Hamas attacks, claims that Israel has yet to substantiate. Those allegations are under investigation by the UN, which immediately terminated nine of the accused employees.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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