Switzerland waits to make payments to UNRWA after accusations
Published: Sunday, Jan 28th 2024, 13:51
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Following serious allegations against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Switzerland is holding off on disbursing aid funds for the current year. A decision will only be made once more information is available, the Department of Foreign Affairs wrote in a statement.
The aid funds earmarked for 2024 have not yet been transferred, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) wrote in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency. This involves a contribution of 20 million Swiss francs.
According to the Israeli allegations, twelve UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 last year. UN Secretary-General António Guterres announces an investigation and is appalled by the allegations. The UN did not initially say how the employees may have been involved in the Hamas massacre in Israel.
Switzerland was informed of the allegations on Friday, according to the FDFA. In its statement to Keystone-SDA, the Foreign Ministry expressed its "extreme concern" about these "serious allegations".
As decided by Parliament in the winter session, humanitarian funds for the Middle East in 2024 will only be disbursed in tranches after consultation with the foreign policy committees. According to the FDFA, these consultations have not yet taken place.
Discussion in Swiss politics
In a debate on the Forum program on RTS radio in French-speaking Switzerland, National Councillor Pierre-André Page (SVP/FR) spoke out in favour of suspending contributions to UNRWA. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, he announced that this funding would be discussed at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
His parliamentary group colleague David Zuberbühler (AR) announced on Saturday's SRF Tagesschau that he would probably table another motion in the spring session to stop these funds being granted.
Felix Wettstein, National Councillor for the Greens, also said on Saturday's SRF Tagesschau that the UN's Palestinian Relief Organization needed to clean up its act. However, the dismissals show that it is doing so.
"It shows that UNRWA is able to release people if they have shown solidarity with terror or even participated in it. That shows that UNRWA works. If we deny it the money, it will no longer have any options and will not be able to provide aid to the civilian population."
Several countries cut off funds
Several countries, including the USA and Germany, the two largest contributors, have now stopped providing aid. The head of the United Nations called on Sunday to ensure the continuation of the UN agency's operations. "Two million civilians in Gaza depend on UNRWA's help for their daily survival," said Guterres.
The Swiss head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, also warned on the online platform X against stopping the payments. He said he was shocked that such decisions were being made on the basis of the alleged behavior of a few people. "The Palestinians in Gaza did not need additional collective punishment," wrote Lazzarini.
The United Nations founded UNRWA in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees. According to the organization, around 5.9 million people are now entitled to its services. These include Palestinians who fled or were expelled in 1948, as well as their descendants. UNRWA is active in Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, among other places.
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