Cut off funds for the UN's Palastine aid agency?
Several countries including the US, Germany, France and the UK have suspended funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and the EU is considering following suit. The decisions came after Israel presented data according to which twelve employees of the aid agency were involved in the 7 October attack by the Islamist Hamas organisation. The Wall Street Journal has also cited intelligence reports according to which one in ten UNRWA employees has links to terrorist organisations.
All the wrong signals
It is irresponsible of the Netherlands to suspend its funding for the UNRWA, NRC complains:
“Making geopolitical decisions over the heads of citizens who have already been hit so hard is wrong. ... What makes the move even worse is that the Dutch government knows how important the UNRWA is for the citizens of Gaza. ... By simply suspending its support for the UNRWA the government is sending the wrong signal to other donor countries, which could now also attach conditions to their aid. And it sends the wrong signal to courageous aid workers. And to the people of Gaza.”
Dismantle it by 2026
Even if the dissolution of the UNRWA is ultimately inevitable it needs to be carefully prepared, Der Standard stresses:
“The UNRWA was founded in 1949 as a temporary aid programme. It was never conceived as a long-term project and has to be extended every three years. Now it has become part of the problem and it will not recover from this scandal. Despite its enormous aid programme, it can no longer have a future. However in view of the war in Gaza, it would be fatal to immediately dismantle the agency. Its current mandate runs until June 2026, by which time UN aid for the Palestinians could be reorganised. By then, however, the UNRWA should be history.”
Guterres has disqualified himself
The Secretary-General lacks the credibility to clear up the scandal, writes Der Spiegel:
“Shortly after the Hamas attacks, he angered many people in Israel by stating before the UN Security Council that the Hamas attacks did not occur 'in a vacuum'. ... After the attacks, the UN General Assembly passed resolutions that were criticised by Israel and welcomed by Hamas. Under Guterres's leadership, the organisation UN Women remained silent for months about Hamas' sexualised violence, even though it generally reacts gender-sensitively to any injustices. When it comes to Israel, Guterres has a tactical approach to the truth. The UN must now thoroughly investigate the UNRWA scandal. Preferably with a new Secretary-General.”
No to collective punishment
Politiken opposes freezing the organisation's funding:
“Should international support for UNRWA be suspended, as the US, Germany and other Western countries have done, while the allegations are still being investigated? Should Denmark also suspend its ample support? No. ... Ending support for UNRWA is a collective punishment of Gaza's civilian population, which bears no responsibility for the scandal. Pulling the plug on UNRWA now will have unforeseeable consequences and cause massive suffering. On the other hand, the entire structure - and perhaps the very existence of UNRWA - should be reconsidered when the Gaza war ends, hopefully soon.”
Not the time for impulsive decisions
De Standaard agrees that the decision of certain states to suspend funding for the agency goes too far:
“The rhetorical question posed by some top UN functionaries as to whether the suspension of millions in aid does not amount to collective punishment for all inhabitants of the Gaza Strip is not unjustified. Is it okay to 'let all the children starve to death because of the sins of a handful of aid workers?' At the very time when the International Court of Justice has demanded in a preliminary ruling that every country in the world do all it can to alleviate the humanitarian plight of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, impulsively turning off the money tap is a disproportionate decision.”
Trust is good, control is better
For Lidové noviny the scandal is no coincidence:
“If the US, the UK, France, Italy and Germany stop funding UNRWA, it's probably not because they've been deceived by disinformation. This is not to say that the UN is deliberately and systematically supporting Hamas. Rather, it is proof of how far a road paved with good intentions can lead if not just the controls but the will to control is lacking. ... In the Czech Republic, all this will be viewed with a certain satisfaction. When Prague voted against a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire without even mentioning the Hamas attack of 7 October, it was met with criticism.”
UNRWA must draw its own consequences
The Frankfurter Rundschau calls for a measured response:
“Anyone who wants to penalise the UNRWA for not monitoring closely enough who is teaching in the schools or working in the clinics should do so in a way that does not mainly harm the most vulnerable. It is good that UNRWA is dismissing suspect employees. But the agency should do more than send its local staff to training courses where they simply memorise the values of the United Nations. Those affected must realise that any glorification of violence has real consequences, and the agency's leadership must be prepared to draw consequences - even if it leads to disagreements with the local authorities.”
Disband after the war
The Tagesspiegel points out that the potential freezing of funds comes years too late:
“The UN aid organisation has long since made itself an accomplice in the region - both to the Hamas terrorists and the corrupt autonomous authority in the West Bank. ... Rather than reform, it therefore makes much more sense to disband the organisation once the fighting ends and the years-long reconstruction of Gaza begins. ... Not only must Hamas be driven out, but there also needs to be an institution in Gaza that does all it can to care for the inhabitants without sowing more hatred and thus further harming all the people in the region. The UNRWA has demonstrated very clearly that it cannot do this.”
Don't abandon those in need
The Irish Examiner commends Ireland for continuing to support the aid organisation:
“Evidence that some personnel are also participants in violence is hugely damaging. However, the balance of mercy - a quality for which there is an enormous need at present - dictates that a greater evil exists in turning off funding for people and organisations engaged in lifesaving work. And for that reason, Ireland - and Tánaiste Micheál Martin - are right to eschew the actions of others who have suspended or cancelled financial support for UNRWA. ... This is not the moment to be casting desperate refugees and victims of war even more adrift.”
Dispel all doubts quickly
ABC demands a clear and swift investigation:
“Given that the UN employs thousands of people, it is imperative that it clarifies the extent of Israel's claim about UNRWA's involvement in the Hamas terror attack. There must be no doubt that UN personnel are deployed exclusively for humanitarian aid and no other tasks. If any doubt remained, it would probably prompt many more countries cancel their funding for UNRWA until it has been established that its operations in Gaza are impeccable. That is why it is imperative that António Guterres speeds up the investigation.”