Funding unchanged
One of the abductees, held for nearly 50 days in an attic, reveals he was held by a UNRWA teacher – a father of 10 children,' says Israeli reporter Almog Boker.
Australia’s contribution to UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA will remain unchanged despite a released Israeli hostage testifying that one its employees held him in his attic and reports of UNRWA facilities in Gaza being used as Hamas rocket launch sites.
Israeli reporter Almog Boker posted on X last week, “One of the abductees, held for nearly 50 days in an attic, reveals he was held by a UNRWA teacher – a father of 10 children. This teacher locked the victim away, barely provided food and neglected medical needs.”
Several UNRWA staffers also praised the October 7 Hamas massacres while textbooks in UNRWA schools have long featured antisemitic material.
Australia in 2022 doubled its UNRWA contribution to $20 million. The AJN put to Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office whether Australia would reconsider its funding commitments in light of the above.
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said, “UNRWA is the only United Nations body with the mandate to provide relief and social services to Palestinian refugees in the region.
“Australia takes all allegations of breaches of UNRWA’s neutrality seriously, and we are deeply concerned at reports of the use of UNRWA facilities by terrorist groups in Gaza for attacks against Israel.
“Australia and its partners regularly and proactively engage with UNRWA management on adherence to UN values, including neutrality. The agency has responded promptly in relation to past allegations of breaches and communicated regularly on its responses with Australia and other donors.”
The UN has two refugee agencies. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is responsible for resettling refugees from all over the world with the exception of Palestinians. UNRWA provides services to Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war and their descendants.
Israeli-Australian Yakov Gitlin started a petition in October calling on the government to stop funding UNRWA and calling for it to be dismantled.
Sign the petition: change.org/p/stop-funding-terror-with-australia-money