No new government contribution to UNRWA, but does not rule out assistance through organization | Abroad

Before new contributions are made, the government will first have to examine whether UNRWA has followed the recommendations made by a recent investigation led by former French minister Catherine Colonna. This is what outgoing Minister Liesje Schreinemacher (Development Cooperation) wrote to the House of Representatives on Friday.

The funding was suspended after Israel said early this year that UNRWA staff had been involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. An investigation was then launched into the neutrality and integrity of UNRWA. According to the government, this has been investigated and implemented “thoroughly”.

UNRWA must adopt a more neutral position, according to the final report published on Monday. These include political statements by employees, textbooks with “problematic” content and threats by highly political unions against UNRWA leadership.

The government also has “clear concerns” about background checks for new employees and educational materials, among other things. “The Netherlands has a long-standing and clear policy on so-called ‘zero tolerance for inaction’ in the event of violations,” the letter says. That is why there will be no new contribution for the time being.

The government also considers it important that there is not too much reliance on UNRWA. “This creates great dependency and is partly why cooperation between humanitarian organizations must be strengthened,” Schreinemacher writes.

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