Easily explained
Employees of the UN aid organization for the Palestinians are said to be involved in the attacks on Israel. Why does the organization exist – and why does it keep coming under criticism? Simply explained: This is UNRWA.
UNRWA is the United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees. The abbreviation stands for the English name: “United Nations Relief and Works Agency”. Currently, several countries, including Germany, do not want to approve any new funds for the aid organization in Gaza. The accusation: Employees are said to have helped Hamas in the terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7th.
Why does UNRWA exist?
The aid organization was founded in 1949 after the war of independence for the founding of Israel and supports more than 5.6 million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem as well as refugees and their descendants in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Refugee status is passed down from generation to generation among Palestinians. Due to this special regulation, not only those displaced by the 1946 to 1948 conflict are considered refugees, but also their grandchildren and great-grandchildren – all of whom fall under the care of UNRWA.
What does UNRWA do?
With its more than 30,000 employees, the organization takes on humanitarian and development tasks, some of which are government-like. It runs schools, health centers, provides microfinance aid and emergency aid programs. UNRWA does not manage its own refugee camps, but has programs to improve living standards there. The 58 recognized Palestinian refugee camps were initially just tent cities, but today they consist of permanent, multi-story buildings. The aid organization is intended to improve the infrastructure there.
Why is there always controversy?
It has already been known in the past that textbooks from UNRWA schools called for the extermination of Israel and the killing of Jews, described Hitler as a role model and presented “martyrdom” as positive. In 2021, the EU Parliament also criticized UNRWA for the school books. These would spread hatred and violence. The EU resolution calls on UNRWA to remove the relevant content. The UNRWA schools were and are sometimes used by Hamas, for example as weapons depots. There are also allegations that UNRWA employees celebrated the October 7 massacres in a chat channel. The case of the twelve employees who are said to have been involved in the terrorist attacks is now being investigated.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
