Independent Review of UNRWA Claims Israel Hasn't Provided Evidence of Terror Links
Summary from the AllSides News Team
An independent review commissioned by the United Nations said Israel hasn't provided evidence for its claim that a significant share of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) staff are connected to terror organizations.
The Details: The report examined the “neutrality” of UNRWA, and found that while it has a “robust framework” for ensuring neutrality, “neutrality-related issues” such as “staff publicly expressing political views” and “politicized staff unions making threats against UNRWA management” persist.
For Context: Israel’s accusations caused several Western nations to pause funding to the UNRWA, although some have since resumed funding. In February, Israeli forces discovered a Hamas compound beneath the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza.
Confusing ‘Neutrality’ Coverage: Most outlets focused on the UNRWA’s claim that Israel has not provided supporting evidence. Some also framed coverage around neutrality, often in conflicting fashions. For instance, Deutsche Welle (Center bias) wrote that the report “called… for ‘immediate improvement’ to maintain neutrality,” and the Washington Post (Lean Left bias) wrote that “the agency must implement more robust vetting of staff members to ensure neutrality.” But Politico (Lean Left bias) only mentioned “neutrality” once, writing that the “UNRWA has established ‘a significant number of policies, mechanisms and procedures’ to… ensure neutrality.”
Minimal Coverage from the Right: AllSides did not find original coverage from any sources on the right. Washington Times (Lean Right bias), Breitbart (Right bias), and Newsmax (Lean Right bias) republished wires from the Associated Press (Lean Left bias) or AFP.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Israel ‘yet to provide evidence’ of UNRWA staff terrorist links, independent report saysIsrael has yet to present evidence backing its allegations that employees of U.N. relief agency UNRWA are affiliated with terrorist organizations, said an independent review published Monday.
After Israel claimed in January that UNRWA staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks, several European countries cut funding to the agency, which is the main provider of aid to Palestinians. Since then, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated significantly.
“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations,” the report said, adding that “Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this.”
From the Center
UNRWA review: Israel hasn’t provided evidence that agency staff were terror group membersAn independent review published Monday of the beleaguered UN agency for Palestinian refugees said that Israel had yet to provide supporting evidence for its claims that a significant number of agency staff were members of terrorist organizations and argued that UNRWA had “robust” policies in place to ensure staff neutrality.
Israel rejected the findings, saying it only provided “cosmetic fixes,” reasserting its position that the agency was intertwined with Hamas and could not play a future role in Gaza. A prominent UN watchdog also called the report a “whitewash.”
The...
From the Center
UNRWA: Review finds 'neutrality' issues, no terror proofAn independent panel called on Monday for "immediate improvement" to maintain neutrality by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The assessment was ordered after Israel claimed 12 UNRWA aid workers may have participated in the October 7 terror attack on southern Israel.
French diplomat Catherine Colonna, who headed the review, said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had appointed the panel to specifically assess UNRWA's neutrality, not the allegations against the 12 workers.
Guterres ordered a separate investigation by an internal UN watchdog to follow up on Israel's accusations.
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