‘Neutrality’ issues found at UN agency for Palestinians, but no terrorism proof

An independent review group on the UN agency for Palestinians said Israel had yet to provide evidence that staff were members of terrorist organisations.

The UN Palestinian refugee agency must do more to ensure its employees are politically neutral and aren’t teaching biased content in its schools in Gaza and the West Bank, a UN-ordered investigation has found.

Despite “robust” procedures at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to uphold the UN principle of neutrality, the review found anti-Semitic content in some textbooks used by UNRWA schools and dozens of biased social media posts by employees.

“Even if marginal, these issues constitute a grave violation of neutrality,” the UN report released overnight on Monday said, noting that some textbooks included maps that didn’t mention Israel and labelled Jerusalem the capital of Palestine, which is unrecognised by Israel, the US, Australia and most of Western Europe.

The probe was launched after the US and other donors suspended funding to the agency in January in response to accusations that at least a dozen employees in Gaza took part in the Hamas attacks in southern Israel on October 7, in which 1200 people were killed and 240 kidnapped.

The investigation released on Monday and headed by Catherine Colonna, a former French foreign minister, didn’t address those accusations, which are being examined in a separate probe.

“We have long made clear that there needs to be reforms at UNRWA, and we would welcome the UN making the reforms that former foreign minister Colonna made in her report,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. Mr Miller said the US still considered UNRWA “indispensable in providing and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance, not just in Gaza, but in the broader region”.

Catherine Colonna, chair of the independent review group on UNRWA. Picture: AFP

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Israeli intelligence had found that more than 10 per cent of UNRWA employees had links to Hamas, a US and Australian designated terror group, including hundreds in its militant wing. The UN investigation said Israel hadn’t provided evidence of those claims, though Israeli security officials dispute that.

Following Israel’s claims that some UNRWA employees, including teachers, took part in the October attacks, most of the agency’s major donor countries halted their funding. That included the US, which last year alone contributed about $US422m ($653m) to the agency’s annual budget of $US1.4bn.

UNRWA fired the employees suspected of taking part in the October 7 attacks. The UN has 50 probes under way of alleged violations of its neutrality policies by UNRWA, according to the report.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that he would implement Ms Colonna’s recommendations, which include strengthening the agency’s internal oversight and hiring more international staff in senior positions. “The Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region,” the statement said.

Since the accusations surfaced, the agency has warned it will have to scale back its humanitarian work in Gaza without more funding.

UNWRA has been the main provider of humanitarian aid, supplying the enclave’s population with food and shelter and education, as well as logistical support to other UN and aid groups there. About 3000 of its staff play a key role in delivering aid and primary services. The vast majority of UNRWA employees are Palestinians.

Initially set up in 1949 to assist Palestinian refugees displaced by the fighting over the creation of Israel, UNRWA has functioned like a quasi-government, running schools, healthcare centres and other services for Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and elsewhere in the Levant. In Gaza alone, it has 13,000 employees.

Since the war in Gaza began last October, the majority of its population of 2.2 million has been displaced, leaving many without adequate access to food and medical services.

Japan, Canada, Sweden, and Australia, among other donors, have resumed funding the agency after suspending contributions earlier this year. The Netherlands and Britain have said they want to review the investigation findings before deciding whether to resume funding.

Israel is pushing for UNRWA to be gradually phased out of Gaza and replaced with other aid organisations. Israel tightly controls access to northern Gaza and recently barred UNRWA from leading aid deliveries there.

An Israeli defence official said the government had provided the investigating team with evidence that Hamas had infiltrated the agency, including the use of UNRWA facilities to store weapons. A Hamas military tunnel complex was found under UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza.

The Wall Street Journal