Achi news desk-
Supporters of Israel are asking the federal court to overturn Ottawa’s decision to continue funding the main UN agency supporting the Palestinians.
The Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs joins Canadians whose relatives were killed in the Hamas attack last October in asking Ottawa to stop funding UNRWA.
A request notice claims that the claims that UNRWA staff took part in the Hamas attack in October means that the agency falls under Canada’s law on foreign aid, which requires that aid be provided “in a manner consistent with Canadian values.”
Canada suspended aid to UNRWA in January when the agency announced it was investigating whether some of its staff took part in the attack; Washington said 12 staff members were being investigated.
The Liberals restored the funding in March, citing the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and suspending all investigative staff.
CIJA says it doesn’t make sense to return the funding until the investigation is complete.
The request also cites Israel’s claim that UNRWA has cooperated with Hamas in recent years, which the agency rejects, and which it says Canadian funds illegally benefit a terrorist organization.
The email you need for today’s top news from Canada and around the world.
Lawrence Greenspon brought the request, saying the government could fund humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through other agencies.
“Turn the faucet back on, but use a different water fountain,” he said in an interview.
UNRWA, the United Nations relief and employment agency for Palestinian refugees in the Near East, is separate from the UN agency that serves refugees around the world, and has long faced criticism from Jewish and conservative groups.
They point to social media statements by agency staff that they claim do not uphold neutrality. Israel accused hundreds of staff members of being members of Hamas in documents that were not shared publicly.
The Harper government cut off Canadian funding to UNRWA in 2010 amid accusations that it was too tied to Hamas.
UNRWA lawyers say it is the best agency for the effective distribution of aid in Gaza, and maintains a refugee designation for Palestinians displaced by the establishment of Israel and their descendants.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Jolly, praised UNRWA last November for providing the bulk of life in Gaza, noting that it is “the only organization that can do this concretely.”
The United Nations says the latest conflict in Gaza has killed more than 175 of its aid workers, the most aid workers killed in any conflict in UN history.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
