Testimony before the United Nations Human Rights Council, delivered by UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer on February 29, 2024.
High Commissioner, everything we just heard from the world’s worst dictatorships, from state sponsors of terrorism, is absolutely false. The truth, as documented on page 3 of your report, is that Hamas is the one that attacked and invaded Israel on October 7th, violating a two-year ceasefire, and committing mass murder, mutilation, rape, and torture, killing and injuring thousands, and abducting more than 200 people, from babies to grandmothers, into the terror tunnels in Gaza.
Today, we ask: What is the UN doing about it? Its primary agency in Gaza is UNRWA. We are told they do “lifesaving,” humanitarian work.
Is this true? Let us consider.
I come here today to present to the UN our new petition, signed within 24 hours by more than 100,000 people.
Therein, we recall the latest revelations. At least 12 UNRWA staff took part in the October 7th massacre.
Are these just “a few bad apples?”
No:
• At least 1,200 UNRWA staff in Gaza are members of terrorist groups;
• 3,000 UNRWA teachers were in a Telegram group that celebrated the massacre;
• Hamas built a terror tunnel directly below UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza, hiding a computer intelligence center that was powered by the agency’s electrical grid. UNRWA’s chief said they didn’t know.
Is this “lifesaving” work?
The UN cannot say it didn’t know. Because we warned you repeatedly, in official documents, about UNRWA’s ties to terrorism:
• in Feb. 2018: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/37/NGO/111;
• in March 2020: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/43/NGO/109;
• in March 2021: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/46/NGO/136;
• and in June 2021: https://undocs.org/A/HRC/47/NGO/145.
America is now trying to help Gazans by giving funds to other agencies not infested with terrorism, but as reported by Devex, secretary-general Antonio Guterres told the agencies not to accept. https://www.devex.com/news/exclusive-us-un-clash-over-beleaguered-palestinian-refugee-agency-107097
