Israel slams Germany's decision to restart funding of UNRWA

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday criticised Germany’s announcement of its intention to resume cooperation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) after an investigation concluded the organisation’s staff had not taken part in the 7 October infiltration of Israel.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said in a post on X: “Germany’s decision to renew cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza is regrettable and disappointing.”

“Israel shared with Germany and other donor countries detailed information about hundreds of Hamas militants and many hundreds more who are members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organisations, all of whom are UNRWA employees,” he added.

Marmorstein continued: “These are not just a few bad apples – this is a rotten and poisonous tree. Transferring German taxpayers’ money to an organisation in which such a high percentage of its employees are Hamas members – an organisation which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Germany – will not contribute to promoting the security and welfare of the residents of the region, both Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

He claimed that “UNRWA is part of the problem and not part of the solution,” adding: “We will continue to work closely with the German government to channel the humanitarian aid to Gaza through other agencies.”

The German Foreign and Development Ministries said in a joint statement yesterday that Berlin intends to resume cooperation with the UNRWA in Gaza after a review that concluded the agency’s neutrality.

According to the German News Agency, the two ministries urged UNRWA to swiftly implement its recommendations, including strengthening internal audit mechanisms and enhancing external oversight of project management to ensure transparency and accountability.

“In support of these reforms, the German government will soon continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, as Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Japan, among others, have already done,” the statement said.

Israel has repeatedly equated UNRWA staff with Hamas members in efforts to discredit them, providing no proof of the claims, while lobbying hard to have UNRWA closed as it is the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees. If the agency no longer exists, argues Israel, then the refugee issue must no longer exist, and the legitimate right for Palestinian refugees to return to their land will be unnecessary. Israel has denied that right of return since the late 1940s, even though its own membership of the UN was made conditional upon Palestinian refugees being allowed to return to their homes and land.

READ: Israel suffers major blow as Germany resumes funding to UNRWA