British Foreign Minister David Cameron said on a Wednesday visit to Bulgaria that his country would require an “absolute guarantee” that the primary United Nations agency for providing aid to Palestinians will not associate with terrorists, in order for his country to resume their now discontinued financial assistance.
Cameron’s comments come as the U.K. and other Western nations suspended aid to UNRWA after allegations arose that the seventy-five-year-old institution employed some of the individuals that partook in the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel.
On Jan. 29, Israel’s intelligence services released a report alleging that as many as 10 percent of UNRWA’s Gaza employees are members of the Hamas terrorist organization, and at least 12 of the participants in the October rampage were affiliated with the group.
UNRWA has for many years been accused by Israel of supporting terror factions, antisemitic incitement, and allowing their facilities to be used for weapons and equipment storage by militants determined to destroy the Jewish state. Last week, a massive Hamas data center was discovered under their Gaza headquarters building.
Responding to the Israeli accusations, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres appointed former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to lead an independent review of the embattled agency's actions. A preliminary report is expected to be released in the next few weeks.
The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, has warned that he may have to cease operations at the end of the month because of a $440 million deficit that the current financial pause has created. On Feb. 6, Lazzarini travelled to Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates for the purpose of replacing the omitted funds.
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