The Middle East Thread

And even if funding resumes , UNRWA won’t see the same amount of funding that it was getting before.

Lesser funding to a place more devastated than it was before.

To be honest my take is that’s it’s all part of information war. Anyone that supports the Palestine cause is considered an enemy is Israel.

Israel weaponised criticism, were Zionism, Israel, and being Jewish as all being one and the same. From targeting universities to suing those who convinced a kiwi singer not to play a gig there. They use the same tactics as Russia. Dismiss, distort, distract, dismay and divide. crucially intimidation is a key aspect. Unless independently verified anything they say I take with a pinch of salt as so much has been bulshit or lies that they allowed to propagate.

I want to see more before I believe UNWRA is widely infiltrated. I expect most have Hamas sympathies but until I see more it appears as propaganda.

Wall Street journal writes article that 1 in 10 UWRA employees has links to Hamas. Turns out written by someone who was part of Israeli military. Yet this has been repeated by politicians. As horrific as the Hamas attack was, numerous false claims got made (eg 40 beheaded babies). Again something repeated by heads of state. From seemingly planting evidence as per BBC described to using video footage of tunnels in Norway as proof of Hamas tunnels.

Israel (especially after ICJ) see UNWRA as the enemy. According to head of UNWRA they are yet to see any evidence from Israel. Seems that international governments pulled funding on a pretty flimsy document.

I don’t doubt there are bad elements within UNWRA but I am generally more inclined to believe an aid organisation where most people join to do humanitarian good. Rather than a country who have been caught multiple times lying who benefit from aid not reaching those in need.

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I hear some disturbing chatter that not just Israel, but US and some Arab leaders too don’t want senior Palestinian leaders to be free as part of prisoner exchange. They are viewed as troublesome :roll_eyes:. FFS, Abbas/PA is just an albatross around the neck for the Palestinians and they are just enabling Hamas.

Jenin and some other neighboring towns in particular and West Bank in general has been under the radar since October 7. Another potential tinderbox is Hebron. I think Israel will conduct large-scale military offensive once they complete their offensive in Gaza.

Yep but of course we can’t conflate them as that is ‘anti-semitic’.

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The Canadian government did not see any evidence backing up Israel ’s claim that staff employed by UNRWA colluded with Hamas before suspending funding to the agency, CBC News reports.

Meanwhile, Israel is bombing Rafah where an estimated 1.5m people are corralled in about 75skm.

it really makes you wonder what dirt that Israel have on the rest of the world, where they are not being condemned by the rest of the world for this.

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As I have previously mentioned, it’s history’s greatest irony that Hitler empowered the Jewish people more than anybody else ever could.

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Oh, fuck-off

Highly recommend reading the France24 article posted by Iftikhar.

Two key aspects.

  • Governments pulled funding without Israel providing evidence

  • Israel is failing to provide evidence for investigations.

To quote the article

Israel has not yet shared its full intelligence dossier with either UNRWA or the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the UN legal body tasked with carrying out the internal investigation.

“I don’t think we need to give intelligence information,” said Lior Haiat, a spokesperson for Israel’s foreign ministry. “This would reveal sources in the operation. We gave information to UNRWA about employees that worked for UNRWA that are members of Hamas.”
….

“They think that we can give them intelligence information, knowing that some of their employees work for Hamas? Are you serious? Why don’t we invite Hamas to our headquarters and have them sit at our desk and have a look at all the information we have?” he asked.

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And also the fact that none of the countries could really be bothered about Palestinians.

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Isn’t that always the way? How many countries and peoples suffer perpetual human rights abuses but the international community fails to help because they have no oil?

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:man_shrugging:

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And talking about Oil rich Arab countries, why aren’t they coming forward to fund UNRWA now ?

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:face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

I remember PRCS tweet saying they can’t contact Hind and the ambulance sent in response to her call.

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It’s heartbreaking, and a good symbol for everything these poor people have to endure.

Throughout all of this, the members of the Israeli government have been conducting themselves like cold, merciless monsters.

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