UNITED NATIONS (AP) — An independent review of the neutrality of the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees found that Israel never expressed concern about anyone on the staff lists it has received annually since 2011. The review was carried out after Israel alleged that a dozen employees of the agency known as UNRWA had participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
In a wide-ranging 48-page report released Monday, the independent panel said UNRWA has “robust” procedures to uphold the U.N. principle of neutrality, but it cited serious gaps in implementation, including staff publicly expressing political views, textbooks used in schools the agency runs with “problematic content” and staff unions disrupting operations. It makes 50 recommendations to improve UNRWA’s neutrality.
From 2017 to 2022, the report said, the annual number of allegations of neutrality being breached at UNRWA ranged from seven to 55. But between January 2022 and February 2024, U.N. investigators received 151 allegations, most related to social media posts “made public by external sources,” it said.
United Methodists open first top
Gazans return to scenes of devastation in Khan Younis
Yemen's Houthis say they targeted Western ships
Changes to tenancy laws to come into force next year
'Chubby Hearts' installation launches in Hong Kong
Few voters globally worried about climate change
Media Minister had 'more than enough time' to find solutions
Pregnant Emily Miller goes braless and shows off her bump under daring tie
Officials advise softer is better when it comes to boot camps
$8 billion US military aid package to Taiwan will 'boost confidence' in region: president
UN expert visits Motueka to learn about Nelson Tenths case