A summit titled 'Future Beyond UNRWA' was held in Geneva, Switzerland today (Monday). The event was held in light of the revelations of the close ties between UNRWA and the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza and the participation of multiple UNRWA employees in the Hamas massacre of October 7.
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, opened the event. He spoke about UNRWA’s involvement in past terrorist activities. Neuer called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: “You have said that UNRWA is irreplaceable in ensuring human rights. It’s a lifeline. But more than 100,000 people have rallied from around the world calling for the closing down of UNWRA. UNRWA has been supporting Hamas in Gaza.”
“Mr. Guterres, you cannot deny UNRWA involvement in Hamas atrocities. Not one UNWRA personnel condemned the October 7th attack.”
Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israeli Ambassador to UN in Geneva, said, “Guterres has just called UNRWA the backbone of United Nations services. I am here to show the opposite. We have proof that workers of UNRWA were involved in the attack. UNRWA workers held hostages in their homes. We know that UNRWA has sheltered Hamas in Gaza. Hamas diverted aid that was supposed to go to local Palestinians. UNRWA knew this and ignored. It’s time for the United Nations to acknowledge that UNRWA and Hamas are interlinked. This must stop.”
She continued, “In 2009 and 2011 as part of my work, we already provided UNRWA with names of a teacher and principal in a local school that we felt that were involved with Hamas. We know that the UNWRA schools’ curriculum contribute to terrorism. How many of the October 7th terrorists were educated in UNRWA schools? It is clear to me that Israel will not be able to work with UNRWA in Gaza anymore.”
Eilon Shahar also raised the problem of “the vetting process. When the UN hires employees for UNWRA personnel, they do not check or ensure that these people are terrorists, or future terrorists.”
Co-author of “The War of Return”, Adi Schwartz, said, “UNRWA is a war agency. It is supporting the Palestinian narrative. It is supporting terrorists who are fighting against Israel and providing services while they are preparing their battle. The most common Palestinian narrative is that the entire land belongs to the Arabs. They believe that the only solution is to undo the State of Israel, putting an end to the State of Israel. This would result in Israel becoming another Arab state. UNRWA has told the Palestinians that they have a right of return, but they do not. UNRWA has inflated the number of refugees by 20-30 times.”
Schwartz spoke about the contradiction of the Palestinian refugees – living in Israel and supposedly being refugees from Palestine. “Why does UNRWA inflate the numbers? In order to uphold the conflict with Israel.”
Co-author of “The War of Return”, Einat Wilf, “UNRWA started with the best of intentions to settle the Palestinians in the Jewish state until it was hijacked.”
Wilf compared UNRWA to an airplane that flies wherever you need to go, until it has been hijacked and flown into a building.
She continued, “UNRWA perpetuated the myth of the right of return. Is the right of return just a feeling of nostalgia to a grandparent’s home. October 7th is the proof of the opposite. It is the triumph of the nostalgia over eliminating the Jewish home. Any replacement for UNRWA must only be given to those who no longer consider themselves refugees. As long as the Palestinians are using Gaza as a launch pad to turning Gaza into a highly functioning war machine, UNRWA must not receive any support.”
She continued, “October 7th should put an end to the notion of the ‘poor Gazan.” So much money and planning was put into the massacre. And they put all their planning and work not into doing something for themselves, but to destroy the Jewish state. Any help that is given to UNRWA, is given to terrorist activities. We must support those who want to put the war behind us, not those who want to keep fighting."
Ayelet Samerano, mother of Yonatan, who was murdered at the Nova party on October 7th, “Yonatan believed in freedom. He and his friends just want to live a peaceful and happy life. His only weapon was his smile, happiness and charm. Yonatan was full of life, always smiling, always joking, everything with joy, and everyone wanted to be near him, to be his friend."
"We cannot think about him in relation to murder and death. Yonatan is life and life is Yonatan. You are asking me why UNWRA needs to be replaced. An UNRWA worker kidnapped my son. A social worker for a so-called humanitarian organization kidnapped my son. How can a worker for an organization claiming to do good, do something so evil. How many more lives have been ruined by this person who dragged my son into the UNRWA car?"
"Does the UN hold my son? Do you know where he is? Bring him back to me. Mr. Guterres, look at my eyes and answer me. Answer me now. Where is my son? You are next door. You are here and you have the opportunity to meet me today and tell me – what are you going to do and how you bring me back my son? I am not an investigator and cannot answer those questions. I am just a mother who lost the most precious thing in the world. That is why I am here today and demanding answers about my son. We have already proven that 42 UNRWA workers took part in the October 7th attack. UNRWA has no reason to exist. Clear your house.”