The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the largest political party in the German federal legislature, is calling for an end to financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
This motion, approved unanimously by the CDU on February 21, was reported by Jüdische Allgemeine, Germany’s national Jewish weekly newspaper, and cited by JNS.
The CDU, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is demanding stricter criteria for aid payments to the Palestinian Authority and an immediate halt to German and European donations to UNRWA.
UNRWA has long been criticized for its cooperation with the Hamas terrorist organization, which has been proven time and time again. That criticism has increased since Israel provided evidence in 2024 that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Following the Israeli revelations, the UN formed a review group, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to look into the Israeli allegations. The group said in its report that it found neutrality-related issues" in UNRWA but also claimed that Israel had yet to provide evidence for allegations that a significant number of its staff were members of terrorist organizations.
The CDU’s motion also proposes tighter monitoring of German and European Union funding for the PA, with noncompliance resulting in the automatic cessation of payments, according to JNS. The conditions outlined include stopping the PA's controversial "pay-for-slay" program, which provides salaries to terrorists based on the severity of their crimes. While the PA has claimed it is reforming the program, those payments have continued.
Additionally, the CDU's resolution demands that PA textbooks cease including antisemitic content, and that organizations carrying out projects in PA territory with German or EU funds must recognize Israel and adhere to Germany's zero-tolerance policy on antisemitism, including on social media.
Under the proposed motion, German and EU funding would shift to other U.N. organizations to take over UNRWA's responsibilities. Germany has already partially suspended funding for UNRWA in Gaza, though the EU remains a major donor.
However, the motion’s implementation is uncertain. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), Germany’s ruling party in coalition with the CDU, has maintained that support for UNRWA should continue.