Author: Steven Sahiounie

The State of Palestine appreciated the work done by former French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna, for issuing the “Independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality”, as requested by the UN Secretary-General, and the detailed assessment by the Swedish-based Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, the Norwegian Chr Michelsen Institute, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights. As affirmed by the report, UNRWA is indispensable and its role remains vital and irreplaceable in providing assistance to millions of Palestine refugees in all the fields of operation indicated in…

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Israeli authorities have yet to provide any evidence to back up their allegations that a dozen people who worked for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees were affiliated with terrorist groups, according to an independent review headed by the French former foreign minister, Catherine Colonna. Her nine-week investigation began after Israel alleged in January that 12 UNRWA workers took part in the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas against Israel. The investigators also found that Israel had not previously expressed concerns about any individuals named on the agency staffing lists it had been receiving since 2011. The wide-ranging…

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