“Representatives of US President Donald Trump’s administration have begun preliminary discussions on the possibility of imposing sanctions against the United Nations Agency for Relief and Work in the Middle East (UNRWA). The reason for such a step is the organization’s alleged involvement in terrorist activities.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: Reuters with reference to sources
Details: According to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the discussions revolve around the agency’s accusations of ties to the Hamas group. Currently, American officials have not yet decided on the exact format of the restrictive measures.
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A wide range of options are being discussed: from sanctions against specific UNRWA officials or specific areas of its activity to declaring the entire structure a “foreign terrorist organization” (FTO). The latter option could lead to the agency’s complete financial isolation, although sources are uncertain whether it is considered the main scenario.
The initiators of the hard line are mainly political appointees in the State Department, who have taken up positions since the beginning of Trump’s term. In particular, the discussion is conducted with the participation of officials from the Bureau of Combating Terrorism and the Division of Policy Planning.
Meanwhile, career diplomats and lawyers fear that sanctions against the entire organization will wreak havoc on aid to refugees and paralyze the work of UNRWA, which is already in a financial crisis. In addition, such a move would create a legal quandary for key US allies who continue to fund the agency – they could be at risk of secondary sanctions.
The director of the UNRWA office in Washington, William Deere, called such plans an “unprecedented and unjustified” step against the UN structure by the country where its headquarters are located.
Dira’s direct speech: “We would be disappointed if US officials were indeed discussing the possibility of recognizing UNRWA as a terrorist organization. Such a move would be unprecedented and unwarranted. Since January 2024, four independent organizations, including the US National Intelligence Council, have conducted investigations into UNRWA’s neutrality. They all came to the same conclusion: UNRWA remains an indispensable and neutral humanitarian entity.”
Prehistory:
- The United States has long been UNRWA’s largest donor, but cut funding in January 2024 after Israel accused the agency of involvement in the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.
- The UN admitted that nine UNRWA staff were likely involved in the attack and dismissed them. It also turned out that the commander of Hamas in Lebanon, eliminated by Israel in September, worked in this structure. The UN leadership declares its willingness to investigate all allegations and has repeatedly asked Israel to provide evidence, which has never been provided.
- UNRWA operates in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, providing education, health and social services to millions of Palestinians. According to the organization, more than 370 UNRWA workers died during the war in Gaza.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for years to disband UNRWA, accusing it of anti-Israel propaganda. On January 30, Israel officially banned the agency’s activities on its territory, including the Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.