Withholding funds from UNRWA is unconscionable
JVL Introduction
Marilyn Garson worked for Unrwa in Gaza during the 2014 war. Even then it was overwhelmed and couldn’t meet all the demands made on it.
How many-fold more the need today! There is barely any comparison.
And yet, using the excuse that a dozen employees are alleged to have supported Hamas on October 7, the US, Britain and 13 other countries have suspended aid.
As Garson points out, Hamas is the de facto government of Gaza, employing thousands of civil servants including teachers, bureaucrats and rubbish collectors. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans can be accused of having “links” to Hamas.
Garson asks: “How can the withholding of food be a question when we know that they are starving? And if this is now the ethical state of our world, how can any Jew respond except by choosing to aid and preserve life?”
RK
This article was originally published by Forward on Tue 30 Jan 2024. Read the original here.
With Gazans starving and freezing, the US withholding funds from UNRWA is unconscionable
I used to work for the beleaguered agency on the ground. Its work is essential to keeping Gazan civilians alive
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I am outraged that France where I live and Australia, my home country, join this pitiful band of genocide-enablers, as the people receiving help in Gaza are already vastly lacking in basic human needs. Removing any of these lacks any justification, especially as the allegations come as spite, as Israel is already planning to continue its genocide, not stop any of its actions.
With my hope for accurate and honest assessment of the on-going Gaza tragedy largely dependent on UN reports, I was shocked and saddened to read: “The UK has temporarily paused future funding of UNRWA, saying it is “appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel”. When subsequently it emerged that this action by the UK, following a similar US move, later replicated by so many other countries, I was enraged to learn that the damning but unsubstantiated accusations instantly acted upon, had been made by Israel, a country not above exaggerating or being economical with the truth.
Israel’s contemptuous attitude towards the UN is well understood, with its rejection of countless critical UN resolutions over the years eg on the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank, only protected by US and often UK delegates’ use of their vetos.
If it emerges that the accusations are substantiated, then, not now would have been the time for the reactions we have seen from the West.
“And if this is now the ethical state of our world, how can any Jew respond except by choosing to aid and preserve life?” Ask the arch Zionist Netanyahu.
If we were being fair about this, all aid and funding to Israel from the US would have been suspended following the killing of 25 thousand civilians in Gaza since October. How silly of me!
Pausing funding for famine relief in Gaza, a political ploy obviously done to divert media focus away from the main story that the ICJ has ruled that Israel is observably carrying out genocide in Gaza, is wilfully stupid and wicked.
Even if an unproven Israeli allegation, that a dozen aid workers out of 13000 employed by the UN relief agency were involved in reprisals against Israel, has substance, it is nigh irrelevant if compared to up to two million people in Gaza being cruelly pounded, repeatedly dispossessed and brutally killed. The deaths of indigenous people are daily incrementing to 30000 or more.
Some hatred of the State of Israel is obviously embedded within Gaza. It is hypocritical of our government and official opposition to expect otherwise.
Israeli genocide is observably leaving vast numbers of traumatised children, some of whom will obviously become future embittered terrorists.
As in the original article, the elected government administration of Gaza is the political side of the Hamas group. It cannot be ignored or bypassed.
It is both highly hypocritical and deliberately silly of our government and official opposition to indulge in prissy criticism of the UN relief workers who necessarily liaise with Hamas administrators within the Gaza enclave.
Britain was obliged to negotiate with the terrorist IRA to progress to peace and stability in Northern Ireland. It involved bringing in all political sides and also persuading terrorist commanders to come into civil power sharing. I recall that that the USA was invited in on this and was involved in the deal.
Very moving article. Thank you Marilyn.