Guilty until proven innocent?

As a result of the Israeli government claiming a dozen members of the UN Relief and Work Agency’s 13,000 staff participated in the atrocities of October 7, the US, UK, Canada and several other countries have announced they are suspending critical donations to the agency. Benjamin Netanyahu must be rubbing his hands together gleefully. It is no secret that he wants UNRWA out of Gaza.

One of the claims the Israeli prime minister often makes is that UNRWA is some sort of front organisation for Hamas. This is bollocks. UNRWA cannot do its crucial work in Gaza without the co-operation of the government there and, like it or not, for some years that government has been run by Hamas. There is nothing the UN can do about that. Or the citizens of Gaza. Hamas has refused to hold an election since it came to power. 

The timing of these allegations is, shall we say, convenient for the Israeli government, taking the focus away from the International Court of Justice’s ruling that it must allow vital aid – and lots of it – into Gaza lest its refusal to do so confirms South Africa’s charge of genocide. (Okay, I’m paraphrasing, but that really is the essence of the ruling, even it if wasn’t stated so explicitly.)

By the time donor countries started pulling the plug on Friday, nine of the 12 UNRWA workers accused had already been dismissed and the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services was launching a full inquiry. UN Attorney General Antonio Guterres had stated unequivocally that any UNRWA employee confirmed to have taken part in the appalling events on October 7 would face criminal prosecution.

Perhaps these 12 individuals did take part. Perhaps, after years and years of watching their people being dehumanised by one Israel government after another they decided to do something awful. Perhaps. These are allegations. And those12 individual represent 0.0009 per cent of the UNRWA workforce. If this isn’t another form of collective punishment, I don’t know what is.

Every time a new and more terrible figure is released about the death toll in Gaza (currently 26,000 – mostly women and children), the Israeli government says the health ministry is run by Hamas and therefore its figures cannot be trusted. Whenever reports of a new accusation of an atrocity committed by the Israeli military is made, the western media is careful to state that the report cannot be independently verified. 

Where is this disclaimer when it comes to claims made by Benjamin Netanyahu or one of his rabid ministers? 

Why is it guilty until proven innocent for only one side?

Meanwhile, this is what conditions are like for the innocent in Rafah.

Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Rishi Sunak and the leaders of every country which has unquestioningly suspended aid to UNRWA should be ashamed of themselves. 

So, too, should the leaders of every Arab country who could immediately replace the suspended funding, but won’t. 

I don’t know how any of them sleep at night.