Foreign Secretary Cameron says Britain is suspending funding to UNRWA until the investigation is completed

JAKARTA – British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said his party will continue to suspend funding to the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) until the investigation into its alleged link with the Palestinian militant group Hamas is completed.

In an interview with BBC Sunday, Foreign Secretary Cameron said he would demand more before funding resumed, as quoted by The National News on May 13.

Foreign Secretary Cameron said he would like to see a “real effort” from UNRWA to “investigate these things properly, that this wouldn’t happen again, that (they) would have changed their procedures and everything else, because we can’t do that.” Expect.” to get back together and start funding an organization when some of their employees got involved on October 7th.

“The UK is awaiting the results of the second report,” Cameron said.

The UN agency, which works for Palestinian refugees, was under investigation after Israel claimed that some of its staff had ties to Hamas. Twelve of them are said to have been involved in an attack on the southern region of Israel on October 7th.

UNRWA responded to the allegations through an internal investigation. The UN Secretary-General also formed an independent external review team against UNRWA, led by the former French foreign minister. This was in connection with an investigation by the United Nations Internal Monitoring Service (OIOS).

Several donor countries have decided to temporarily suspend their funding. Later, several countries decided to continue funding, including Canada and Australia, in line with UNRWA’s statements and actions.

Last March, the Israeli military said the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza (UNRWA) employed more than 450 “military personnel” from Hamas and other armed militant groups, with this intelligence passed on to the United Nations.

“More than 450 UNRWA staff are military personnel in terrorist groups in Gaza. More than 450 people. This is no coincidence. This is systematic. There is no claim ‘We don’t know,'” said military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel

“We are sending the information I am now sharing, as well as other intelligence information, to our international partners, including the United Nations,” he continued.

Earlier this month, UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, that many donor countries are continuing their funding, with the exception of Britain, Austria and Switzerland, while the United States has not yet decided whether to continue funding The suspension ends in March 2025.

Palestinian leaders accuse Israel of a political attack on UNRWA and call for the organization’s funding to be restored.

It is known that UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza and provides daily assistance to more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians. The funding freeze has dramatically increased tensions in the agency, which has been under strain for nearly five months of war.

Tag: International Ingris Palestine Gaza Conflict Israel Palestine Donors