New UN Watch investigation: how the UN agency turned into a tool for terrorists
At the beginning of January, UN Watch, a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, published a report that raises serious questions about the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The 50-page document presents shocking evidence that UNRWA maintains close and systematic ties with the organizations HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
An Alliance Threatening Humanitarian Principles
The report, based on a meticulous analysis of open sources, shows that, despite its claims of neutrality, UNRWA has actually collaborated with terrorist groups. This collaboration allows them to influence the policy of the agency, which has 30,000 employees and an annual budget of 1.5 billion dollars, predominantly funded by Western countries.
Examples cited in the report testify to a long-standing practice of interaction between UNRWA leadership and terrorists. Thus, agency representatives regularly meet with leaders of HAMAS and other groups in Gaza and Lebanon, where they publicly exchange praises for “cooperation” and call each other “partners”.
Direct Integration of Terrorism into the Education System
Particularly alarming is the influence of terrorist organizations on UNRWA’s educational programs. The report provides evidence that HAMAS not only participates in the agency’s staffing policy but also embeds its representatives into key structures. For instance, in May 2024, in Beirut, UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini met with HAMAS leaders. The outcome of this meeting was the appointment of high-ranking HAMAS member Fathi al-Sharif as head of the UNRWA teachers’ union in Lebanon, giving the group leverage over thousands of teachers and students.
Systemic Corruption and Security Threat
The UN Watch report also reveals that UNRWA’s leadership knowingly ignores the connections of its employees with terrorists. Instead of fulfilling its humanitarian mission, the agency has become a platform for promoting extremist ideology, posing a threat not only to regional but also to global security.
Comment by Marina Rosenberg Koritny, Head of the Department for the Promotion of Aliyah WZO
“This report reveals a bitter truth to the world: an organization intended to provide humanitarian aid has turned into a tool serving the interests of terrorist groups. Such activities of UNRWA undermine trust in international humanitarian institutions. Israel and its allies must demand a thorough investigation and immediate reforms to protect both civilians and the principles of humanitarian aid.”
