“At the end of the day, we at UNRWA were one of the victims of what happened on October 7th.” These words were said by Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA’s Media Advisor, who also claimed that Israel had ‘exploited’ October 7th to ‘settle scores’ with the UN agency which employs some 30 thousand people.
Abu Hasna spoke these words during a webinar he took part in on Wednesday, alongside members in Hamas and the PFLP, titled: "UNRWA after the Ban Law and the Arrival of Trump: Dangers and Coping Mechanisms." The webinar was hosted by the Lebanese-based Association 302 for Palestinian Refugees, led by Ali Hweidi, who also acts as an official at the Istanbul-based Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA), an organization designated by Israel as a Hamas front in 2021.
Other key speakers featured in the webinar were Ahmed Al-Hajj, who has served as Deputy Media Official of Hamas in Lebanon, and Salah Abdelati, a self-admitted member of the PFLP's youth group in the past, who was mentioned by the PFLP as a coordinator of the "return marches" riots in Gaza, which were led by Hamas near the Gaza border in the years leading to the October 7th Massacre.
In another Hamas-affiliated angle, the webinar was broadcast by EPAL, a European-based media outlet which has collaborated with the Hamas-owned Shehab outlet several times in the past, and which was chaired by Amin Abou Rashed, another Hamas designated official who was arrested in the Netherlands for suspicions of funding Hamas.
Al-Hasna: some of the personnel ‘may have taken part’ in October 7
In his intervention, Abu Hasna addressed the agency’s economic hardships, adding that, despite it always being the case, this time, the agency faces a real existential threat following the decision of countries such as the US, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Italy to halt the funding. According to Abu Hasna, the difficult economic situation even pushed the agency’s Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini to mention the idea of delegating some of the agency’s services to local Palestinian organizations, claiming that dismantling UNRWA and forming a Palestinian state are interconnected.
In regards to the participation of UNRWA personnel in the October 7th Massacre, Abu Hasna claimed that two different internal committees were set up by the UN to investigate Israel’s claims, accusing Israel of not handing them further information “other than pictures and names.” Despite this, he admitted that one of those committees did find that some of those people “may have taken part” in the massacre.
Abu Hasna also pointed to what he deemed an ‘orchestrated $150 million Israeli campaign’ against UNRWA throughout the West, adding that, walking around European cities, he almost felt like he was walking around in Tel Aviv due to all of the anti-UNRWA ads he saw everywhere, which had ties the organization to terrorism.
According to Abu Hasna, the situation now differs from that of Trump’s first term, as back then he cut funding but encouraged other countries to replace the US - and now he encourages them to cut their funding as well. Abu Hasna also warned of the rise of “right wing” and “populist” governments in Europe which would also proceed to cut UNRWA’s funding.
Finally, Abu Hasna addressed some of the “fears of there being Zionist workers” in UNRWA, claiming that there are almost none, and that a vast majority is completely supportive of the Palestinian refugee cause. “October 7th was an earthquake, and its implications are much more dangerous than those of the Arab Spring,” he concluded.
Hamas member: Palestinians should exploit the rift between Europe and US to save UNRWA
Ahmed Al-Hajj, who served as an official of Hamas in Lebanon, also highlighted what he deemed a ‘systemic campaign’ against UNRWA, claiming that the agency embodies the issue of the refugees and the right of return, and lamenting the fact that the campaign had affected several countries and even UNRWA itself. He also called on Palestinians to ‘take advantage’ of the differences of opinion between Europe and the US over the Palestinian issue, and ‘invest’ in the fears of the Europeans from the repercussions of dismantling UNRWA, in order to save it.
Saleh Abdelati, who served as a member of the terror designated PFLP, called to suspend Israel from the UN over its “infringements” against UNRWA, calling to bring in Arab countries to fill the gaps in the funding of the agency. He also denounced UNRWA’s lack of operations in Egypt, adding that the UN has failed in its mission of protecting UNRWA. Finally, Abdelati stated that they had hoped that the Israeli courts would intervene to override the anti-UNRWA legislation, but their failure to do so only proves that they are also politicized.
Abdelhamid Siyam, a professor at Rutgers University and veteran UN official himself, claimed that ever since the 1975 resolution denouncing Zionism as a form of racism, “Zionists decided to control the UN from the inside,” accusing ‘Zionists’ of controlling many of the programs and agencies of the international organization.
According to Siyam, for this reason, many agencies and rapporteurs at the UN are now “acting in Israel's favor.” He named specifically Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba, and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Nderitu, as examples of rapporteurs who show favor towards Israel and “talk about everything except for Palestine.” He also denounced UN rapporteur on Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese for “not achieving anything,” questioning why she is being rewarded. Finally, Siyam accused UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini of “trying to dismantle UNRWA and destroy it,” adding that this will fail since most nations show solidarity.
Another speaker was Adnan Abou Chakra, Sweden based affiliate who has served as an official at EUPAC and EPINA, two organizations led by designated Hamas official Majed Al-Zeer. Abou Chakra accused UNRWA of corruption and mishandling of funds. He stated as an example the fact that foreign UNRWA workers gain a higher salary in comparison to Palestinian ones, and pointed to a $500 million project to rehabilitate the Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon, which was never completed despite the huge sums of money allocated to it.
Abou Chakra also claimed that the acceptance of ‘the Zionist entity’ into the UN was conditioned on the right of return, which in turn means that Palestinians abroad must pressure those countries who supported the foundation of Israel to carry out their other promises. He also denounced what he deemed “Zionist workers” at UNRWA, which he claimed are trying to bring the agency down from the inside.