Germany, the largest donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) operations in Gaza, stopped funding after an internal review found its learning materials glorify jihad and teach antisemitism.
UNRWAR’s $1.6 billion budget mostly comes from Western countries. America pledged $344 million to UNRWA in 2022. Germany pledged $122 million.
President Donald Trump’s administration pulled funding from UNRWA. President Joe Biden’s administration restarted it. Will they pull it again?
The German Development Ministry will freeze the entire budget. From i24News:
“With these conditions that urgently need to be changed, UNRWA is not making a contribution to a peaceful solution,” Human rights-focused politician Max Lucks, from the Greens party, stated, adding “Not a single cent from Germany should reach teachers who glorify the terror of Hamas.”IMPACT-se led multiple policy meetings with the German government and legislature to raise this issue, presenting reports which showed Palestinian Authority (PA) schools celebrating the October 7 massacres, including UNRWA teachers and staff, in addition to learning material branded with the agency’s logo that glorifies violent jihad, antisemitism and violence against Jews.“The UNRWA system has ultimately failed because too little help reaches the people and too much terror against the Palestinians and Israel has become possible. We urgently need other ways to ensure that the help reaches those who deserve it for a better life prospect,” the human rights policy spokesman for Germany’s second largest party, Christian Democrat Union (CDU, Michael Brand said in the press release statement.
The European Union already took steps to freeze 39 million euros from UNRWA and other Palestinian non-profits.
The EU said it would hold the money until the non-profits instill “procedures and tools used to enforce the contractual obligations stemming from the restrictive measures and anti-incitement clauses.”
Switzerland stopped the flow of 600,000 euros to Palestinian non-profits for the same reasons.
IMPACT-se and U.N. Watch released a report earlier this month, citing UNRWA teachers celebrating the October 7 massacre. Here are only a few examples:
- UNRWA Gaza teacher Osama Ahmed posted “Allah is Great, Allah is Great, reality surpasses our wildest dreams” as the massacre was unfolding.
- UNRWA school principal Iman Hassan justified the massacre as “restoring rights” and “redressing” Palestinian “grievances.”
- Director of the UNRWA Khan Younis Training Center Rawia Helles, who is featured in and UNRWA campaign, glorified one of the terrorists as a “hero,” “raider,” and “prince of Khan Younis.”
- UNRWA English teacher Asmaa Raffia Kuheil excitedly posted “7th, October, 2023! Sculpture the date!” adding a heart emoji.
- UNRWA school administrator Hmada Ahmed posted “welcome the great October.”
It gets worse.
One Israeli child hostage said a UNRWA teacher held him in his attic for almost 50 days.
Another hostage said a UNRWA doctor did not help the Israelis, only those from Gaza.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY