Gaza without UNRWA? “From Israel’s perspective, this would resolve the conflict.” Gender needs to be better taken into account in federal studies

The latest allegations against the Palestinian aid organization UNRWA are serious: according to the New York Times, which refers to internal documents from the Israeli government to the US, twelve UNRWA employees are alleged to have been involved in the Hamas terror attack on October 7. Did this news surprise you?
Riccardo Bocco: No not at all. The Israeli government has long been trying to dismantle UNRWA. The reason for this is quite simple: the fact that UNRWA is still active after 75 years makes it a symbol of the “right of return” of the Palestinians expelled in 1948 and their descendants. And that contradicts the Zionist founding myth on which Israel was built.

What is this foundation myth?
“A country without a people for a people without a country” – which is fundamentally wrong. The land on which Israel stands today was not ‘peopleless’. There were 750,000 Palestinians who were forced to leave their homeland. The existence of UNRWA in Gaza is a refugee protection tool and therefore an obstacle to any narrative Israel wants to develop about the war in Gaza.

UNRWA claims to have 13,000 employees in the Gaza Strip alone. Most of them are Palestinians. It is likely that some UNRWA staff sympathize with Hamas.
Yes absolutely. And in my estimation there will be many more than just twelve UNRWA workers. But there is a big difference between whether someone is actually involved in terrorism or sympathizes with a terrorist organization. In the case of the accused UNRWA employees, some reportedly celebrated the October 7 attack on Israel on social media.

That is still highly reprehensible.
Yes, but you could also call it the mirror effect. After all, many also celebrated the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Can you still imagine that UNRWA employees are actively involved in Hamas terror?
UNRWA has control mechanisms in place. Before hiring anyone, she does a thorough background check. But how can you ever be sure – especially in an area like the Gaza Strip – that someone is not or will not become an active Hamas supporter? That is why it is so important that UNRWA thoroughly investigates the allegations. The fact is: as of today, we don’t know what’s wrong with them. But it is also a fact that the accusations come from Israeli intelligence and that Israel has an interest in weakening UNRWA.

What good would it do specifically for Israel if these accusations brought down UNRWA?
If UNRWA no longer exists, there will no longer be an organization in the war zone that can help the Palestinians. And there is no longer a single organization that can confirm people’s refugee status. Without UNRWA it would be as if the Palestinians born in the future would not exist. They didn’t exist on paper. From Israel’s perspective, the “conflict” would have been resolved. At least in theory. Without refugees, there are fewer people who can claim their land and demand reparations.

However, there are now fears in the West that the aid money given to UNRWA has also been used to finance terrorists. Many countries have therefore stopped sending money to the aid organization. Such requirements are also imposed in Switzerland. What do you think of these responses?
The European and North American countries reacted very emotionally. But this response symbolically shows the West’s blind support for Israel. Israel is responsible for the terrible conditions in the Gaza Strip, under which people are suffering and dying. Israel is committing war crimes by claiming to exercise its right to self-defense. By the way, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, recently pointed this out. But Western states do not appear to hold Israel responsible for war crimes. And now they are also withdrawing funding from the main humanitarian aid organization for the Palestinians. They are thus complicit in crimes against the Palestinian civilian population.

At the same time, you could also say: UNRWA has always been dependent on voluntary funds from UN states. If Western donors cease to exist, Arab states could support the Palestinian civilian population by increasing UNRWA funding.
The Palestinian refugees are the result of Western actions. Western states founded UNRWA out of a bad conscience. By co-financing the aid organization, they wanted to rid themselves of the blame for the 1948 conflict. The Arab states therefore say: “We are not responsible for this suffering. Why should we pay then?”

To save lives perhaps?
Many Arab states believe they are doing their part by welcoming Palestinian refugees for decades.

In summary: is UNRWA part of the problem or part of the solution to the conflict in the Middle East?
From the Israeli perspective, UNRWA is certainly part of the problem. Objectively, UNRWA is neither part of the problem nor part of the solution. It was never her job to take on a political role to bring about a solution to the conflict in the Middle East. UNRWA also does not represent the Palestinians. The only role that UNRWA should play is to provide protection, support and humanitarian assistance to the refugees. And she does. As long as she can.