British government could lift funding freeze on beleaguered UN relief agency, sources reveal
Britain is likely to end its “pause” on funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), but only after its alleged links to Hamas have been addressed, Whitehall sources have said.
In January, Britain was among 18 countries that halted financing for the UNRWA after Israel alleged that 12 of its employees had taken part in the Hamasled attacks on October 7.
While several countries have since restored funding, the British government has said it will do so only after reforms proposed by a UN inquiry have been implemented.
However, because the British contributions were made in advance, the country has not yet missed a payment to the agency.
The UN yesterday published a report featuring several recommendations to make the UNRWA more accountable and transparent.
“The UNRWA, with the Secretary General’s support, will establish an action plan to implement the recommendations,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said yesterday.
The agency has previously said it will provide a list of its employees and copies of their ID cards to donor countries.
Whitehall sources told The National that British funding may be “unpaused” but not immediately reinstated, in part because pro-Israel Conservative MPs have lobbied against resuming contributions. With the US having halted its contributions – which account for almost half of the UNRWA’s $880 million budget – until March next year at the earliest, the agency’s operations are at serious risk.
UNRWA director general Philippe Lazzarini has warned that dismantling the agency would “have lasting repercussions” and “accelerate the onset of famine”.
Afzal Khan, a Labour MP who has argued in parliament for funding to be restored, told The National that the UNRWA has “invaluable experience” in Gaza and has “dealt appropriately” with the allegations.
“Many of the other countries have restored aid, so what is the UK government doing when the need is so great that we’re talking about an imminent famine?” he said.
“There is no alternative, so the UK government should be getting on with it.”
Human rights lawyer Rosa Freedman said the UNRWA’s remit should be expanded to include other refugees in the region, including Yazidis, Kurds and Syrians.
“We shouldn’t be closing down UN agencies and we definitely want them on the ground,” Prof Freedman said.
“But the UNRWA should look to become a hub for all regional refugees that falls under the mandate of the UN.”
She recalled that Britain had continued to send funding to Syria despite knowing “that in order to get humanitarian aid to the people on the ground, it would have to go through ISIS”.