{"id":7027,"date":"2024-01-27T06:10:37","date_gmt":"2024-01-27T00:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/27\/u-s-suspends-funding-to-u-n-agency-after-learning-staff-allegedly-involved-in-october-7-attack\/"},"modified":"2024-01-27T06:10:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-27T00:40:37","slug":"u-s-suspends-funding-to-u-n-agency-after-learning-staff-allegedly-involved-in-october-7-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccfornews.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/27\/u-s-suspends-funding-to-u-n-agency-after-learning-staff-allegedly-involved-in-october-7-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Suspends Funding to U.N. Agency After Learning Staff Allegedly Involved in October 7 Attack"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The U.S. announced that it is suspending funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) following allegations that the agency\u2019s staff was involved in the October 7 attacks against Israel.<\/p>\n

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said<\/a> the allegations leave the United States \u201cextremely troubled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSecretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on January 25 to emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter. We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres\u2019 pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate. We also welcome the UN\u2019s announcement of a \u2018comprehensive and independent\u2019 review of UNRWA. There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n

According to Jewish Insider<\/a>, the U.N. agency removed 12 employees allegedly connected to the event.<\/p>\n

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said<\/a>, \u201cThe Israeli Authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on 7 October.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo protect the Agency\u2019s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay. Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUNRWA reiterates its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the abhorrent attacks of 7 October and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages and their safe return to their families,\u201d he stated. \u201cThese shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the Agency has been providing since the war began. Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) called for the U.S. to \u201cpause all funding to the UNRWA.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast month I sent a letter to the UN urging them to investigate these claims,\u201d he wrote on X. \u201cThis rot is deep and the U.S. should immediately pause all funding to UNRWA until an independent investigation is carried out.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Last month I sent a letter to the UN urging them to investigate these claims.<\/p>\n

This rot is deep and the U.S. should immediately pause all funding to UNRWA until an independent investigation is carried out. https:\/\/t.co\/A0FAg4gpbF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) January 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Waltz wrote a letter<\/a> in November to U.N. Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, explaining that he was \u201cappalled\u201d to learn that \u201cIsraeli hostages were held in Gaza by at least one teacher working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon<\/a>, described that news reports claimed that \u201cteachers and other educational staff of UNRWA staff, among others, praised Hamas\u2019s terrorism on October 7, calling it (among other things) an \u2018unforgettable glorious morning\u2019 and a \u2018splendid sight!’\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[T]hese actions indicate a broader problem of UN officials and their complicity with these atrocities,\u201d Waltz wrote, adding that the reports suggest a \u201cdeep radicalization of the Palestinian population beyond Hamas members, which appears to have little appetite or interest for living in peace with Israelis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI urge you in the strongest possible terms to investigate these allegations that UNRWA educational personnel were complicit in the hostage taking. If so, a fundamental change needs to be made at the UN and in UNRWA specifically,\u201d the letter concluded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n