Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) has suggested that the Palestinian Authority (PA) should take over the functions of controversial UN Palestinian agency Unwra.
A briefing note sent to MPs, seen by the JC, says the should UK restore funding to Unwra in the short-term “given the humanitarian situation in Gaza”.
However, the funding should be tied to “Unwra reform, in particular a more stringent vetting system for staff; a transparent employee registry; and … an overhaul of education materials and governance reforms.”
The document suggested the controversial agency eventually be replaced by a reformed PA: "In the medium-term … the UK should work at the UN with our allies to establish a framework that considers Unwra as ‘transitory’. This should put in place a firm process which leads to UNRWA’s resources and services mandate being transferred to a revitalised Palestinian Authority."
The LFI briefing recommended that, “The transition of Unwra’s services to the Palestinian Authority should be part of larger process to reform and increase the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority as it assumes governance responsibilities in Gaza. Along with other reforms to Palestinian education, the UK should support reforms to Palestinian Authority and Unwra school curricula that embody the values of peace, tolerance, and multicultural understanding and reject violence and extremism.”
The UK was one of a number of countries who stopped funding Unwra in January 2024 after Israel voiced concerns about the participation of its employees in the October 7 attack and subsequent violence.
Just last week, the IDF said it found evidence of UNRWA facilities being used by terrorists in Gaza and, last month, the JC reported that victims of the October 7 massacre had filed a lawsuit against UNRWA for “aiding and abetting” Hamas.
@UNRWA , how many more times will your facilities and infrastructure be exploited by terrorists?
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 12, 2024
Our troops found UAVs, war rooms used for surveillance operations and large quantities of weapons, including tactical drones, rockets, machine guns, mortars, explosives and grenades… pic.twitter.com/bs5SP9rNwl
On Friday, the UK’s permanent representative to the United Nations paid tribute to “the work of Unwra in unprecedentedly challenging circumstances” and said the government was “closely considering resuming UK funding to Unwra.”
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