Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and several members of his government called on foreign states that had cut their funding to the United Nations refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) to resume their financial support as soon as possible.
On Monday, Belgium welcomed the findings of the independent report which says that Israel is "yet to provide evidence" to support its allegations that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The UN agency provides vital support to thousands of Palestinian refugees facing an "unprecedented" humanitarian crisis following the Israel - Hamas war.
The Independent Review Group was led by Catherine Colonna, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, who worked with three research and human rights organisations from Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
The Israeli allegation pushed many of UNRWA's key donors, including the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, to pull their funding before the findings could be verified.
"The report confirms that UNRWA has established – over many years - policies, mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the principle of neutrality," said Phillipe Lazzarini, UNRWA Secretary-General in a statement. "The report confirms that the Agency has systems to address allegations of neutrality breaches, including through disciplinary sanctions."
Belgian ministers welcomed the report but urged allies to resume their funding for the refugee agency. The report "states that Israel has not provided any evidence to support the claims that employees acted as Hamas terrorists on 7 October," said Prime Minister De Croo on social media. "Belgium has maintained its funding and calls on other governments to resume their support to help Palestinians in need."
Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib echoed these words: "We were right to maintain our support for UNWRA", she said, also in a post on social media. "The Colonna report gives a positive assessment of the organisation's neutrality and reinforces our decision a little more." "The report is clear: UNRWA is "irreplaceable and indispensable" for the Palestinians," she added.
Development Minister Caroline Gennez agreed, saying the "UNRWA has always acted appropriately, I call on all donors to resume their support. Now."
In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the report saying that Hamas' infiltration in UNRWA is so deep "it is impossible to say where UNRWA ends and Hamas begins."
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, providing quality services in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance.
The work of the independent review group was conducted in parallel to the UN’s internal investigation into the allegations concerning the involvement of UNRWA employees in Gaza in the 7 October attacks against Israel. The investigation is ongoing and being undertaken by the UN Office for Internal Oversight Services, the highest investigative body of the United Nations.
