After accusations against employees: The Netherlands stops funding to UN aid agency

No more money will be going to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for the time being, outgoing Minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) announced. The organization is under investigation because employees may have been involved in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

The Netherlands had previously transferred 19 million euros to the organization. As long as the investigation is ongoing, no further funds will be transferred, according to the ministry.

"These allegations are too serious," said Van Leeuwen. "We first need to know exactly what will come out of the investigation and what steps the United Nations will take. The Netherlands will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza through other channels." Van Leeuwen said on Friday that he was already "shocked" and was considering suspending support.

Van Leeuwen wrote on X that he was shocked by the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the Hamas attack on Israel and considers the dismissal of the employees to be a step in the right direction.

Shocked about the alleged involvement of several @UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7.
Very good that UNRWA immediately terminated the contracts of these staff members and launched an investigation. https://t.co/QcW10KZz2N 1/2

— Geoffrey van Leeuwen (@leeuwengew) January 26, 2024

Several countries before the Netherlands have already stopped their support for UNRWA. In Europe, these include the United Kingdom, Italy and Finland. The United States, Canada and Australia have also stopped their support.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UNRWA, has reacted with dismay to the decision of nine countries to suspend their financial support.

“These decisions threaten the continuation of our humanitarian work in the region, especially in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

UNRWA conducts its own investigation into its employees. It concerns 12 people who were involved in the terrorist attack of October 7. However, it is not known what role they may have played in this.

Guteress: UN employees will be held accountable

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres promised to hold "all UN staff involved in acts of terrorism" accountable.

According to Guterres, the UN is willing to work with the authorities to ensure that those involved are prosecuted. But he asks the nine countries, including the Netherlands, that have stopped financial aid to UNRWA due to the allegations, to continue supporting the organization. "The tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many of whom find themselves in the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be punished. The serious needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met."

Of the 12 employees involved, nine have been dismissed, one has died and the identities of the other two are still unclear, the UN secretary-general said. An internal investigation into their alleged involvement in Hamas violence is underway. UNRWA has 30,000 employees and also operates in the West Bank as well as Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

The UN agency, the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza, relies largely on voluntary donations. The countries that have suspended funding to UNRWA are considered major donors. The United States, which was the first country to stop the flow of money, was the largest donor in 2022. The Netherlands was in 12th place that year with a donation of almost 21.2 million euros.