Canada to resume funding UNRWA
Controversy over staff involvement in Oct. 7 attacks
Canada’s month-long pause in funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency will soon come to an end.
On Friday, Global Affairs Canada announced that funding for the contentious UN agency, which was suspended in January following revelations that UNRWA employees took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, would soon resume.
“The decision is in recognition of the serious and significant processes that the United Nations has undertaken to address the issues in UNRWA, and the recognition of the critical role that UNRWA plays in providing much-needed support to over two million Palestinians in Gaza, as well as the millions more in the broader region,” said International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen during a press conference in Mississauga, Ont.
Hussen added there must be “zero tolerance” for terror within the UN and UNRWA.
“Canada has reviewed the interim report of the investigation conducted by the United Nations, and we’re closely following this investigation as well as the conclusion of the broader independent review being conducted by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna,” Hussen said.
Hussen ducked questions about what specifically in the report prompted the government to change its mind, saying Canada acted out of the need to save lives in Gaza.
Hussen also avoided saying if he believed that UNRWA employees took part in Oct. 7, telling the reporter to ask the UN instead.
The Trudeau Liberals started off the week fumbling with an aborted press conference and leaks suggesting the government was about to announce resumption of funding.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was noncommittal when asked, saying that Canada will do “the right thing” and that it places “the protection of civilian life at the forefront of everything we do.”
Canada was one of scores of nations that followed-suit with the United States in halting UNRWA funding after evidence presented by the Israeli government alleged agency employees took part in the Hamas-led attack, which saw the murder of over 1,000 Israelis, mostly civilians.
In a statement, the U.S. State Department wouldn’t comment on if plans to resume funding were in place, but said the Biden Administration
“would need to see fundamental changes” before funding could resume.
Among evidence uncovered since the attacks includes video footage of UNRWA social worker Faisal Ali Mussalem al-naami and another Hamas terrorist retrieving dead Israelis in Kibbutz Be’eri.
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces released a video of an UNRWA teacher boasting of his involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks.
UNRWA employs about 13,000 people in Gaza.
Last June, Canada announced a $100-million, four-year pledge to the UN relief agency to deliver “core programs that support basic education, health, social services and livelihood opportunities and protect the rights of Palestinian refugees.”
Canada’s next $25 million payment on that pledge is due next month.
Independent MP Kevin Vuong, one of the more vocal voices of support for Canada’s Jewish community, said that Canada’s resumption of funding means ignoring UNRWA’S role in the Oct. 7 attacks.
“On International Women’s Day, while 19 Israeli women and girls are still being held hostage, the Trudeau government chose this day of all days to reinstate funding to an organization currently under UN investigation for staff participation in the Oct. 7 massacre, rape, and kidnappings,” he told the National Post.
“Minister Hussen stated in response to my Feb. 1 question regarding UNRWA funding that the Trudeau government would wait for the results of the UN investigation, but the investigation is ongoing. How can Canadians trust this government when they say one thing and do the opposite?”
On Twitter, Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman echoed Vuong’s concerns about the announcement being made on International Women’s Day.
“With evidence of UNRWA workers taking part in the killing, raping and hostage taking on Oct. 7 - Canada restores funding it never really cut off by giving this agency more,” she posted.
“I’m sure the investigation was thorough (it was not).”
In a statement, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said that no taxpayer money should be used to fund organizations with such overt ties to terror, violence and antisemitism as UNRWA.
“The federal government, including the Prime Minister and Minister Hussen, promised that Canada would “pause all additional funding to UNRWA pending the outcome of the investigation,” the statement read.
“The investigation has yet to be completed, and UNRWA has still not been held accountable for their employees that took part in the massacre on October 7. Urgent aid is needed for Palestinians, but UNRWA is not the answer — as the United States has effectively demonstrated.”
CIJA says it plans to challenge the government’s decision in court.