Brussels pays 16 million outstanding to the UN agency for Palestine in the midst of Israel’s attack on the organization

The European Commission has disbursed the 16 million euros it had pending for aid to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at a time when Israel has redoubled its offensive against the organization. Benjamin Netanyahu has declared the Secretary General, António Guterres, persona non grata, and has taken the first steps with a law that would prevent the agency from acting in the occupied territories, which the EU has warned would have “disastrous consequences.” Furthermore, the Israeli army has attacked the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) deployed in Lebanon.

In this framework, the third payment of the 82 million euros that Brussels had committed to UNRWA for this year has been made and that months ago was at risk. The far-right Hungarian commissioner, Oliver Varhelyi, in charge of Neighborhood and Enlargement, announced a review of the programs due to the serious accusations leveled by Israel against a group of workers of the organization for their alleged links with Hamas. That movement strained the EU and finally it came unlocking help after the investigation carried out by the UN itself.

“This third disbursement complies with the conditions agreed between the Commission and UNRWA to improve the organization’s neutrality processes and control systems,” says the community executive in a statement about the payment of 16 million euros, which is added to the 50 million that were paid in March and another 16 million that were delivered at the end of May. The total amount amounts to 82 million euros.

The leaders of the 27 reiterated this Thursday their support for the UN in the conclusions of the summit held in Brussels. “The European Council expresses its full and unwavering support for the Secretary General of the United Nations. “Nowhere should the Secretary General of the United Nations be declared ‘persona non grata’,” the text states, referring to the Netanyahu Government’s accusation of Guterres.

“The European Council highlights the essential role of the United Nations and its agencies, in particular UNRWA, which provides essential support to the civilian population both in Gaza and in the rest of the region. It is essential to continue implementing the UNRWA Action Plan. “The European Council condemns any attempt to revoke the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA or to otherwise obstruct its ability to exercise its mandate,” the document adds about Netanyahu’s intention to limit the organization’s actions.

The heads of government of the EU has raised its tone against Netanyahu following the attacks on blue helmets deployed in Lebanon. For the first time, they accuse Israel of violating international law with this attack, a step that until now had not received unanimous support from the 27 despite the tens of thousands of people murdered in the Gaza Strip.

Despite this rise in tone, there is still no agreement to take punitive measures against Tel Aviv, such as the arms embargo defended by Spain, France or Ireland, or the review of the trade agreement for violations of international law, which Pedro requested Sánchez and his Irish counterpart in February and what they insisted on again in the meeting with the 27 this Thursday. The high representative, Josep Borrell, will force a debate on the issue in his last meeting with the foreign ministers on November 18.