Germany has announced that it will resume funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), following suit with other countries such as Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Japan. The decision was made after an independent investigative team concluded that UNRWA remained neutral and that Israel had not provided evidence of agency employees being linked to terrorist activities.
Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres accepted the recommendations of an independent investigative team regarding allegations of UNRWA’s involvement in terrorism in the Gaza Strip. The report prepared by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna highlighted the importance of UNRWA for Palestinians in various regions and acknowledged progress made by the organization in improving audits and internal controls to uphold humanitarian principles.
Israel had previously accused UNRWA of having employees involved in terrorist activities, including the Black Saturday massacre. However, the investigative team found no evidence to support these claims and emphasized the importance of supporting UNRWA in its mission to assist Palestinian refugees.
