An independent review led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna found that the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, is neutral and that Israel has never expressed concern about anyone on the staff lists provided annually since 2011. The review was prompted by Israeli allegations that a dozen UNRWA employees participated in Hamas’ October 7 attacks. The report highlighted serious gaps in the implementation of neutrality procedures at UNRWA, including staff expressing political views publicly and controversial content in textbooks used in schools run by the agency. The review made 50 recommendations to improve UNRWA’s neutrality.
The report revealed that from 2017 to 2022, the number of allegations of neutrality breaches at UNRWA ranged from seven to 55 per year, but between January 2022 and February 2024, U.N. investigators received 151 allegations, mostly relating to social media posts made public by external sources. Notably, Israeli officials never expressed concern about UNRWA staff, and the staff lists shared with host countries did not raise any alarms. The report indicated that Israel had made public claims of UNRWA employees being linked to terrorist organizations, but no evidence was provided to support these claims.
While the review focused on UNRWA’s neutrality, Guterres ordered a separate investigation by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) to look into Israeli allegations of UNRWA staff involvement in the October 7 attacks. The independent review panel headed by Colonna emphasized that it was not mandated to investigate these allegations and suggested that Israel should provide evidence to the OIOS. The suspension of funding to UNRWA by the United States and other countries due to these allegations has resulted in a temporary halt in funding of about $450 million, but some donors have resumed contributions.
The report underscored the critical importance of UNRWA in providing essential services like health and education to Palestinian refugees in the absence of a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It described UNRWA as “irreplaceable and indispensable” for Palestinian human and economic development and stressed the need for stronger oversight of its operations and leadership. The recommendations included steps to address politicization of UNRWA staff and staff unions, as well as a zero-tolerance approach towards antisemitism and discrimination in textbooks.
UNRWA’s Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini emphasized the importance of safeguarding the agency’s neutrality and expressed commitment to implementing the report’s recommendations. Colonna urged the Israeli government to take the review seriously and consider its recommendations, highlighting the potential benefits of implementing the suggested changes. With calls from Israel to dismantle UNRWA, Lazzarini warned that such an action could deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and lead to a famine. International experts have raised concerns about a potential famine in northern Gaza if the Israeli-Hamas conflict escalates.
The review was conducted over nine weeks by Colonna and three Scandinavian research organizations, during which more than 200 individuals were consulted, including UNRWA staff in Gaza. The report has been welcomed by the U.N., with Secretary-General Guterres accepting the clear recommendations put forth. There is hope for the return of previous donors and attracting new donors following the release of the report, especially as UNRWA works towards addressing neutrality challenges and improving its operations.
