Aid workers accused of taking part on 7/10 attack on Israel - appalling !

[Lanabigbanana]

https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/serious-allegations-against-unrwa-staff-gaza-strip

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-palestinian-refugee-agency-investigates-staff-suspected-role-israel-attacks-2024-01-26/

From the Guardian 5 hours ago;

"UK suspends UNRWA support after Israeli allegations The UK has temporarily paused future funding of UNRWA, saying it is “appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel”.
A statement sent to the Guardian by the UK’s foreign, commonwealth and development office said:
'The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK government has repeatedly condemned.

The UK is temporarily pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.'

We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it."

The involvement of UN staff is the bigger point here though. Yes someone will always try to make political capital out of any misstep but it’s so important not to lose sight of the actual crime

We don't know what the actual crime is @Tuile , it might be a 12 frustrated teachers posting on a forum or it might be 12 people actively taking part in the 7th Oct atrocities.

Regardless of how true this is, how is suspending aid that presumably can only be used to help the civilian population of Gaza doing anything other than punishing those same civilians?

No, we don’t know definitively, but the non-denial of the UN makes it very plausible. So imo we shouldn’t turn this into an Israeli crime. Of course if it turns out not to be true I would expect funding to be reinstated.

I assume they are suspending aid donations because they are concerned about it being used for terrorism?

... which would be entirely credible, had ANY of these countries - including my own!!! - even so much as threatened to stop sending weapons to Israel. If not before then, at the very least, after the ICJ ruling!

But they have not. Not even a single one of them!

Are you saying that aid money being used for attacks like those of Oct 7th shouldn’t be prevented? Or are you saying it should be prevented, but Israel shouldn’t be armed either?

If it’s the latter, countries supporting Israel consider that waging war on Hamas is legitimate. The ICJ also takes this position.

Iran, on the other hand, think Hamas’ attack was legitimate which is why they arm them.

Neither, actually!

I am saying that ...

1. Your premise is false - and nobody has even claimed that. Not even Israel. Who has had it in for UNRWA for literal years. The actual accusation is that, as per Israel (from what I understand: specifically Shin Bet "confessions"*), some 12 members of staff have been accused - and they have been suspended!
2. I am also saying that - for all the criticism I would personally level at UNRWA (not the same stuff that the occupation tends to complain about, mind!) - UNRWA is instrumental in delivering and distributing humanitarian aid to Gazans these days. De-funding them at this exact moment is tantamount to "re-inforcing the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza". Which is, at the very minimum, a war crime, and possibly "part and parcel" of genocidal actions. I very much expect my government not to be complicit in this - never mind actively support it!
3. Yes, Israel should be defunded. We should not be giving aid and shipping weapons to a state that uses our goods to massacre civilians and re-inforce Apartheid in the West Bank. Absolutely not.
4. In fact, Israel should be santioned! (And, before you say "but Hamas ..." - they ARE!)

• Asterisk on the grounds of: it is widely known that Israel tortures confessions out of detainees,

What on earth are we sending as aid? Anti-tank missiles? Maybe just send food and medicine instead then. I’d be amazed if we were sending anything that could even remotely be used for terrorism.

Edit: Ok, I presume by that we are simply giving cash then rather than actually providing physical stuff. I’d still be amazed if any money was being spent on weapons or anything that could be used by Hamas. Very different to people being involved.

I assume it’s money and the worry is that money is partly being used to pay salaries of terrorists, but that’s speculation on my part.

Just edited my post. I’m not sure terrorists have salaries, but i get your point.

So we should give aid to UNRWA even though there is a risk it will be misused, but we shouldn’t give aid/weapons to Israel as there’s a risk they’ll be misused?

OK so the western world defunds UNWRA while they investigate those 12 suspended employees.

Israel has been bound to take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

This could be tricky.

It is sickening to think anyone could praise a massacre. If they've done this on SM that just shows how strongly they must have endorsed the sickening action. Then to find others played a more active part is just horrendous. I can understand why Israel was so hesitant to let these aid workers take aid in now.

No, the Israeli government has already misused weapons.

• Killed: at least 26,083 people, including more than:
• 10,000 children
• 7,000 women
• Injured: more than 64,487, including at least:
• 8,663 children
• 6,327 women
• Missing: more than 8,000

• More than half of Gaza’s homes - 360,000 residential units have been destroyed or damaged
• 378 educational facilities
• 16 out of 35 hospitals are partially functioning
• 122 ambulances
• 221 places of worship

I shall disregard the supposed trap and willingly walk right into it ...

Actually, YES! Because ...

UNRWA, while it has a gazillion problems (again, not typically the ones Israel complains about), has 30k employees, 13k around thereof in Gaza and - out of all of these - 12 have been accused (again: by Israel, based on "interrogation", which, in Israel, often means "torture"). And they have been suspended! UNRWA is instrumental to delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza right now!

Meanwhile, the government of Israel is a far-right cabal, several of whose members have had their potentially relevant as "incitement to genocide" statements specifically called out. They - specifically Gallant - have explicitly stated their aim to starve out and thirst out Gaza. And tried to do so - had not their allies been a tad worried about the optics and forced them to downgrade from "no food, no water" to "too little food, too little water, for people to survive on". They have not been sanctioned. They wield an army of <1 million of active and reserve soldiers, and they are using it to flatten Gaza and make it uninhabitable.

Yes, we fucking should de-fund and sanction the genocidal apartheid regime! And we absolutely should at the very, very least be continuing to fund emergency aid to Gaza. Which, at present is UNRWA.

But Heidi, they might misuse the food.

I think everyone in the world knows now how the Israeli propaganda machine has been working for the past 75+ years. And the UK is complicit in (another) genocide along with USA and Israel. I am so proud of South Africa and utterly ashamed to be British. Free Palestine!

The propaganda machine is in overdrive, to compensate for the ICJ ruling.

Won't Israel report to ICJ that they could not enable aid because of funding being removed? It will be out of their hands, I assume, if UNWRA has insufficient funds to continue.

Do you mean the hospitals and educational institutions that are just a front to the gruesome tunnels underneath that hide the terrorist Hamas? Tunnels were found under a child nursery and a hospital.

So, you are focusing your questions on infrastructure because you also agree that the loss of life in Gaza is unjust and unbearable? Is that correct?

You are perfectly right, of course! And I fully retract all of my previous statements! Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!!!

I just really had not considered the possibility that the food might go to pregnant women who might - at this very moment - be gestating the future Hamas!

Obviously, those people need to be starved! It is a moral imperative, so to speak! </sarcasm>