19 July 2024
Following the announcement by Foreign Secretary David Lammy regarding the restoration of £21 million of government funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA ), StandWithUs UK expresses profound concern and disappointment.
StandWithUs UK stands firmly against this decision, citing serious allegations and instances where UNRWA staff have been involved in heinous activities, including butchering, kidnapping, and holding innocent Israelis hostage.
The foreign minister’s statement to Parliament, where he reassured that the agency had taken steps to “ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality,” comes when just in the last 24 hours, Hamas terrorists were caught in a UNRWA compound that served as one of Hamas’ headquarters in Gaza. Earlier this week, it was discovered that a UNRWA food warehouse in Gaza was used as a Hamas “recruitment office” and a site for the production of UAVs.
“Rewarding UNRWA, which is constantly involved in terrorist acts, is a wrong step and counterproductive to the fight against terror,” said Isaac Zarfati, Executive Director of StandWithUs UK.
StandWithUs UK calls on the government to withdraw funding and conduct stricter scrutiny to ensure that future financial support would actually reach civilians rather than be appropriated by terrorists and to ensure robust accountability and transparency as to how UK funding is being utilised.
About StandWithUs UK:
StandWithUs is an international, non-profit and non-partisan Israel education organisation that works to inspire and educate people of all ages about Israel, as well as challenge misinformation and fight against antisemitism. Founded in 2010, StandWithUs UK has become a recognised support system and leading resource for students on UK campuses. We empower and energise students and communities with leadership training and educational programmes on both school and university campuses. StandWithUs informs through social media, printed materials, digital platforms, film and newsletters. The StandWithUs flagship Emerson Fellowship programme seeks to raise students into future leaders, equipped to stand strong in the face of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. We believe in the right of the Jewish People to self-determination in their historic homeland of Israel. We educate the facts in an unbiased and holistic manner, with an open mind, reflecting on views from all sides of the political, social and humanitarian spectrum whilst promoting peace. StandWithUs UK believe the current discourse surrounding Israel on campus all too often crosses the line between legitimate criticism of Israel’s policies and the dangerous, mainstream, antisemitic rhetoric which stands contrary to the IHRA definition of antisemitism. We work to educate on that distinction, encourage civil discourse on legitimate criticism of Israel, and to fight antisemitism wherever it emerges.
