The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, more famously known as UNRWA, is supposed to provide humanitarian relief and support for Palestinians; however, there have been allegations over the years, and especially since October 7th, that UNRWA is linked to Hamas. We have seen that UNRWA employees participated in the October 7th massacre and were involved in harboring the Israelis who were taken as hostages on that day.
These horrifying discoveries led to multiple countries suspending their donations to UNRWA and to Israel deciding to work with the World Food Program (WFP) instead of UNRWA.
While some donor states and Israel are pushing to replace UNRWA with a new entity to help Palestinian civilians, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres started his own campaign to whitewash UNRWA’s crimes on October 7th and Hamas’ takeover of the UN agency.On February 5th, 2024, UNSG Guterres announced the appointment of an “independent review group” to assess whether UNRWA “is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.”
However, according to a recently released report by UN Watch, the UN’s independent review group is anything but independent. The group consists of 3 organizations that have a history of pro-UNRWA and anti-Israel bias and employ people who have accused Israel of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and even genocide.The Secretary-General appointed former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna to lead the review and work with 3 Scandinavian research organizations: The Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) in Norway, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden (RWI), and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR).
Anti-Israel Scandinavian Trio
Looking at the names of the three groups the UNSC handpicked, one would not recognize their inherent anti-Israel ideology. But I’m here to tell you about it.On October 25th, 2023, 17 CMI employees signed a statement accusing Israel of “apartheid,” writing they “emphasize the importance of viewing this conflict in its historical and political context, acknowledging the historical inequalities, injustice and violence brought about by Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories and maintenance of an apartheid state.”
CMI has also written about UNRWA in the past and expressed deep concern about its “funding crisis.” Does this sound neutral and independent?
In addition, the Executive Director of Sweden’s RWI, Peter Lundberg, posted an article on his X account in 2016 titled: “The international community - Israel is building an oppressive system that is a combination of apartheid, Indian reservations, and the wall in Eastern Europe.” And since the October 7th massacre, Lundberg has “liked” numerous posts expressing support of UNRWA, again even after allegations were made that the agency is linked to Hamas.One of RWI’s board members, Anne Ramberg, has accused Israel of genocide and apartheid in her social media posts. Most recently, on January 5th, 2024, she wrote, “There is an ongoing genocide in Gaza and what must be characterized as ethnic cleansing in the West Bank…”.
Finally, the last member of the “independent review” group, the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), has also expressed anti-Israel views and has questionable ties to Palestinian groups.
Recently, DIHR voiced support for South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, in which it accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. In 2021, DIHR’s Communications Director Jacob Sheikh posted on his X account that Israel has “illegally occupied” the Palestinians for 70 years, effectively delegitimizing Israel’s right to exist even in the pre-1967 borders.
DIHR also works with the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), which was founded by members of the US-designated terror group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). ICHR regularly shows support and hosts events with members of other terror groups like Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Attempt to Whitewash UNRWA So Donations Will Flow Again
With the review group’s final report set to be published in late April, the public and UNRWA donor states need to understand the true nature of the review.
We shouldn’t hold our breath with this report; it’s just another transparent attempt to whitewash the corrupt, Hamas-infested UN agency with only one goal in mind – to resume the donations and ensure its survival.
Conrad Myrland is the CEO of Med Israel for fred (MIFF, With Israel for peace), a pro-Israel group in Norway. MIFF is also active in Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland.
This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world. Read the previous article by Angel Mas.