US urges donors to abandon UNRWA funding as UN defends agency's mission

The United Nations defended its entreaty for countries to support backing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees successful the Near East (UNRWA), aft the United States argued that donors should halt supporting an bureau it claims has been infiltrated by Hamas and alternatively nonstop its wealth toward the Security Council-backed Board of Peace. 

Speaking astatine UNRWA’s yearly pledging league successful aboriginal July, U.S. Ambassador Jeff Bartos accused subordinate states of repeating a failed attack and said the bureau had go a "subsidiary of Hamas."

"Doing the aforesaid happening implicit and over, expecting a antithetic effect is the explanation of insanity," Bartos said. "And yet, present we are again, different yearly pledging league for UNRWA. Same speeches … aforesaid condemnation of Israel, aforesaid failures to condemn Hamas."

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UNRWA's office successful Gaza City, Gaza, Feb. 21, 2024. (Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Bartos urged governments to halt backing UNRWA schools successful Gaza, which helium accused of indoctrinating children successful hatred of Jews and glorifying terrorism. He besides cited allegations that UNRWA employees participated successful the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught against Israel.

"You tin take to money incitement, coercion and stagnation, oregon you tin take to money the Board of Peace, giving Gazans a way to peace, prosperity and real, durable change," Bartos said.

The Board of Peace is simply a U.S.-led assemblage created nether President Donald Trump’s Gaza program to oversee transitional governance, reconstruction and semipermanent improvement alongside a Palestinian technocratic administration. The medication argues it offers a amended alternate to UNRWA by shifting assistance distant from what it says is simply a Hamas-infiltrated strategy and toward accountable governance and economical recovery.

Asked by Fox News Digital wherefore U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres was asking countries to enactment further wealth into UNRWA alternatively than enactment the Board of Peace, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric defended the agency’s grounds and mandate.

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A Palestinian pistillate wears a greenish Hamas scarf attends a objection against a U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) backing gap, extracurricular the UNRWA Gaza Headquarters successful Gaza City, Aug. 16, 2015.  (The Associated Press)

Dujarric said Wednesday that UNRWA officials, including erstwhile Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and acting main Christian Saunders, had taken "strong action" erstwhile presented with facts concerning imaginable infiltration by radical aligned with violent organizations.

"UNRWA doesn’t run done a benignant of immaculate conception," Dujarric said successful a property briefing. "It is determination due to the fact that determination is simply a mandate fixed to it by the General Assembly, and we proceed to fulfill that mandate. It has a precise important relation to play connected the humanitarian front."

Dujarric added that the Security Council solution supporting the Board of Peace besides calls connected the United Nations to present humanitarian assistance and pb humanitarian activities successful Gaza.

"UNRWA is portion of that system," helium said.

The U.S. presumption contrasted sharply with those of respective European governments.

At the aforesaid pledging event, the United Kingdom announced £23 cardinal successful enactment for UNRWA. 

British Ambassador James Kariuki called the bureau "indispensable" to providing indispensable services to Palestinian refugees crossed Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

France besides reiterated what its typical described arsenic "full support" for the agency, saying UNRWA continues to supply indispensable assistance contempt increasing obstacles. France said it had provided €123 cardinal to UNRWA since 2023 and would denote its 2026 publication soon.

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A Palestinian antheral collects nutrient from a humanitarian assistance organisation constituent successful Beit Lahia, bluish Gaza, July 20, 2025.  (Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The French typical said allegations against UNRWA had been taken earnestly and argued that the bureau was implementing recommendations from the Colonna reappraisal intended to fortify neutrality and transparency. France besides supported an eventual, gradual transportation of UNRWA’s responsibilities to betterment and fortify Palestinian institutions arsenic portion of a broader governmental settlement.

The backing quality comes arsenic UN Watch is demanding that Guterres waive immoderate immunity enjoyed by Lazzarini, whose word has ended, truthful nationalist authorities tin analyse allegations that helium ignored repeated warnings astir Hamas infiltration.

In a June 30 letter, the Geneva-based watchdog claimed that it had provided Lazzarini and his medication with grounds involving teachers, schoolhouse principals, national leaders and different employees who allegedly supported oregon were affiliated with Hamas and different violent groups. It argued that the claims make grounds for an autarkic transgression investigation.

Hillel Neuer, enforcement manager of UN Watch, told Fox News Digital that his enactment told Lazzarini "that determination are supporters of coercion — successful immoderate cases, existent members of Hamas — moving arsenic teachers, moving arsenic schoolhouse principals," Neuer said, "Not 1 atrocious apple, not a fewer rotten apples, but the occupation of enactment for coercion … was systematic."

Neuer said waiving Lazzarini’s immunity would not magnitude to a uncovering of guilt but would let prosecutors to trial the evidence.

"The probe whitethorn beryllium there’s nary evidence, and it’s over," Neuer said. "But astatine slightest you should waive immunity to let an investigation. The U.N. said that if anyone was recovered involved, ‘we volition cooperate.’ Now is the test."

Asked whether Guterres would see waiving Lazzarini’s immunity, Dujarric did not reply directly.

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Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees successful the Near East (UNRWA) holds property league successful Jerusalem connected October 27, 2023.  (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"As acold arsenic I know, UN Watch is not a judicial authority," helium said. "We person always, arsenic a substance of principle, cooperated with investigations by nationalist authorities."

UN Watch’s missive argues that immunity exists to support the interests of the United Nations alternatively than supply a idiosyncratic payment to an official, and that it should beryllium waived wherever it would obstruct justness without harming the organization.

Fox News Digital contacted UNRWA for remark but did not person a response.