UNITED NATIONS: The United States said on Tuesday that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees needs to make “fundamental changes” before Washington will resume funding that was halted over Israeli accusations that some agency staff took part in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield welcomed a UN inquiry into the accusations against staff at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and a planned agency review. She also said the US was seeking more detail from Israel about the allegations.
She described “fundamental changes” as: “We need to look at the organization, how it operates in Gaza, how they manage their staff and to ensure that people who commit criminal acts, such as these 12 individuals, are held accountable immediately so that UNRWA can continue the essential work that it’s doing.”
The accusations became public on Friday when UNRWA announced it had fired some staff after Israel provided the agency with information. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that of 12 people implicated nine were fired, one is dead, and the identity of the remaining two was being clarified.
The United States — UNRWA’s biggest donor — temporarily paused its funding, along with a cascade of other countries. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that Washington provides $300-400 million a year.
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