Independent Panel Finds ‘Neutrality’ Problems within UNRWA

#Independent #Panel #Finds #Neutrality #Problems #UNRWA

Jakarta –

An independent panel on Monday (22/04) called on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to carry out “immediate improvements” to maintain its neutrality.

This independent panel was previously tasked by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to carry out an examination of UNRWA after Israel alleged that 12 of its workers may have participated in a Hamas terror attack in southern Israel on October 7 last year.

However, French diplomat Catherine Colonna, who chairs the independent panel, emphasized that they were tasked with specifically examining UNRWA’s neutrality, not examining Israel’s allegations regarding the 12 workers.

To follow up on Israel’s accusations, Guterres has ordered the UN’s internal watchdog to conduct a separate investigation.

Independent panel findings regarding UNRWA’s neutrality

In its 54-page report, the independent panel said it had identified “neutrality-related issues” in UNRWA’s procedures. This was done to “ensure compliance with the principles of humanitarian neutrality.”

The report cited staff political statements in the public domain, “problematic content” in school textbooks and the politicization of unions.

“Most of the alleged neutrality violations relate to social media posts,” the report said, noting that the posts were often posted following violent incidents that affected the individual’s colleagues or family.

Another challenge arises from the scale of operations in Gaza and the fact that the majority of UNRWA personnel are at the same time local residents who also receive UNRWA assistance, the report said.

Regarding school textbooks, the report reveals that there has been progress made by UNRWA in ridding schools of biased textbooks.

Even so, nearly 4% of school textbooks still contain statements referring to Israel as a “Zionist occupation,” or Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

The independent panel issued recommendations to UNRWA to increase its neutrality, not only through engagement with donors, but also through staff neutrality, education and governance.

UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini has previously said he would accept whatever the independent panel recommends. However, he also warned against what he called a “deliberate concerted campaign” by Israel to dismantle the organization.

Independent panel: Israel has not provided evidence

Colonna said Israel has not provided evidence to support its accusations.

“Israel has made public accusations that a large number of UNRWA employees are members of a terrorist organization. However, Israel has not provided any supporting evidence to this effect,” Colonnna told reporters in New York.

That accusation was previously made by Israel in March, claiming around 450 UNRWA workers in Gaza were “terrorists.”

The independent panel also questioned that, of the tens of thousands of names on the UNRWA staff list received since 2011, Israel had never previously expressed concerns regarding any of them.

UNRWA currently employs around 32,000 people, and 13,000 of them are in Gaza.

Israel criticizes independent panel report

Responding to the report issued by the independent panel, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on donor countries to immediately leave UNRWA.

“Colonna’s report ignores the severity of the problem, and offers only cosmetic solutions that have nothing to do with the scope of Hamas’s infiltration of UNRWA,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein.

“Like an apple tree, the UNRWA-Gaza problem is not just a matter of a few bad fruits but a rotten and poisonous tree whose roots are Hamas,” said Marmorstein, adding that the report “is an attempt to avoid the problem, but does not address it directly.”

Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union (EU), the United States (US), and several Arab countries.

Israel’s accusations triggered disruptions in aid to UNRWA

Israel’s accusations against UNRWA previously prompted international donors to quickly freeze funding worth $450 million (equivalent to IDR 7.3 trillion) to the UN agency.

The independent panel called this funding “irreplaceable and indispensable for human and economic development in Palestine.”

Most countries have now resumed donations, but there are still some countries such as the US, UK which continue to maintain their distance.

The US is UNRWA’s largest donor. Each year, donor countries provide between $300-$400 million in aid. However, now they have passed a law that locks in a pause in UNRWA funding until at least March 2025.

UNRWA was founded in 1949 to help Palestinians who fled or were expelled during the 1948 war. Today they provide services to nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees.

gtp/rs/as (AFP, AP, )

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