First concrete effect of the Colonna report on UNRWA: Germany, one of the most important donors of this United Nations agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, has decided to resume its payments to the organization, frozen after Israel had been accused of being infiltrated by Hamas. The audit published Monday April 22, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, largely cleared the agency, while suggesting ways to strengthen its neutrality. Two days after its presentation, Berlin announced on Wednesday its intention to resume its aid and welcomed the “vital role” of UNRWA, a major humanitarian actor in the Gaza Strip, bombarded for more than six months by the Israeli army.
The federal government intends to coordinate with its “closest international partners to disburse additional funds” intended for the agency. ” In connection with (THE) reforms (recommended by the audit)the federal government will soon continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza », adds a ministerial press release. If the deadlines remain unclear, this turnaround is a relief for the organization. Germany had become its second donor after considerably increasing its aid from 2018. Berlin’s aid had helped to alleviate the crisis caused by the cessation of American funding from 2018 to 2021, ordered by President Donald Trump.
But, at the end of January, Germany was among the eighteen donors, most of them Western, who withdrew in record time. Philippe Lazzarini, the director of the organization, has just made public that twelve of the 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza are accused by Israel of having participated in the massacre committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Those who are still in life, ten out of twelve, were dismissed on the spot, specifies the boss of the agency. Despite these immediate sanctions, imposed without Israel even having produced evidence to support its allegations, donors are abandoning UNRWA.
It’s an earthquake for the agency. It finds itself with 450 million dollars (more than 419 million euros) frozen, the equivalent of more than half of its general budget for 2024. This ensures the operation of its schools and dispensaries for the 6 million Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the Palestinian territories. It is no longer a question of making up for chronic underfunding, but of ensuring its survival at the most difficult time: Gaza, where there are currently more than 26,000 dead, is facing a humanitarian cataclysm.
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