Report from former French foreign minister finds Israel has not backed up claims it made against refugee agency operating in Gaza. by Simon Speakman Cordall, Al Jazeera, April 22, 2024 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/22/no-evidence-of-unrwa-staff-links-terrorist-groups-independent-review
Israel has not presented credible evidence to support its claims that UNRWA staff were members of “terrorist” groups, an independent review for the United Nations led by a former French foreign minister has said. . . . Based solely on the Israeli accusations, 18 donor countries, including UNRWA’s principal donor, the United States, suspended funding to the agency. Nevertheless, while some – such as the United Kingdom – chose to wait on the findings from the Colonna report, the majority of donors had already reversed their initial positions and resumed funding, with some, such as the European Union, increasing their spending. Only Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and the US have maintained funding suspensions. The US will maintain its suspension until March 2025, despite its own intelligence services in February expressing “low confidence” in the Israeli allegations. . . . “We previously operated throughout Gaza. However, in late March, Israel said it would block UNRWA food convoys into the north,” she [Juliette Touma, director of communications for UNRWA] added, referring to the area where experts have declared famine is imminent. . . . According to an IPC report, roughly 210,000 people living in northern Gaza and Gaza City are likely already experiencing famine. The south and centre of Gaza, including Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis, and the governorate of Rafah, are classified as “emergencies” and expected to succumb to famine by July if no intervention or ceasefire comes. . . . “Make no mistake: Hunger is being used as a weapon of war,” she [Touma] said. . . . Despite claims in recent days from both the US and Israel that additional aid had been allowed in, the UN has still reported that flows are painfully lower than those needed to sustain the population trapped in Gaza. Backers therefore argue that UNRWA urgently needs to be allowed to work in Gaza without restrictions and with the full support of the international community. . . . Germany to resume funding of UNRWA aid operations in Gaza Berlin restores ties with UN agency after review says Israel has provided no evidence of terrorist links by Bethan McKernan and Julian Borger, Guardian, April 24 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/24/germany-to-resume-funding-of-unrwa-aid-operations-in-gaza -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#30068): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/30068 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/105720721/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
