UNRWA funding: how is Switzerland responding to latest allegations?

Internally displaced Palestinians gather outside a school run by UNRWA in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Keystone / Haitham Imad

As several countries have suspended their funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the allegations against its staff are escalating. Switzerland has not yet disbursed the 2024 funding and says it is awaiting the results of a United Nations (UN) investigation on the matter.  

For years Switzerland has been discussing the role of the UN agency and its potential involvement in fomenting the divisions between Palestinians and Israelis, but since the October 7 Hamas attacks, the debate has become more heated than ever. 

How is the debate on this issue unfolding in Switzerland?  

Last Friday, UNRWA announced it had sacked 12 of its staff members over their alleged involvement in the attacks perpetrated by Hamas on October 7. On Monday, the Wall Street JournalExternal link wrote that around 10% of UNRWA’s staff in Gaza have links with Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.   

While several countries have almost immediately suspended funding to UNRWA, Switzerland, like the European Union (EU), decided to wait for the results coming out of the UN investigation before deciding how to proceed.   

In 2018, Foreign Affairs minister Ignazio Cassis accused UNRWA to be part of the overarching problem in the Middle East. His claim at the time caused outrage among many. But now Cassis seems to have more support. 

Last December, the House of Representatives voted in favour of cutting funding to the organisation. The ensuing discussion created divisions within the Swiss parliament, but ultimately, a compromise was reached. A cut of the general humanitarian budget by CHF10 million ($11.6 million) was agreed without specifying exactly where the money should be saved.   

Now the political landscape appears to be tilting towards Cassis’ critical stance on UNRWA, particularly due to the allegations of antisemitic teaching in schools operated by UNRWA in Gaza.  

Who is speaking out against UNRWA?    

According to the Wall Street Journal, seven school teachers were among the 12 UNRWA employees sacked because of their alleged links to the attacks. Pierre-André Page of the Swiss People’s Party told Swiss public radio RTS on Saturday that when he visited an UNRWA school last year he was denied access to classrooms and textbooks. “This proves that there were serious problems with this organisation,” he said.   

Some are also worried about Swiss money ending up in the hands of terrorist organisations and call for zero tolerance on the matter. The intelligence report cited by the Wall Street Journal revealed that since October 7, Hamas has stolen more than $1 million (CHF862,700) worth of UNRWA supplies. The report claims that Hamas operatives are involved in coordinating transfers for the UNRWA aid-delivery enterprise. Hans-Peter Portmann, from the Radical-Liberals, told Swiss public television SRF: “We will call on the Swiss government to take action and stop the funds immediately – without going through Parliament.”  

Palestinian residents in Lebanon carry placards requesting urgent help for Gaza during a protest against the decision of several donor countries to halt funding for UNRWA. Keystone / Wael Hamzeh

Who defends UNRWA?   

While these Swiss politicians suggest that there are other organisations that could help the population in Gaza, namely the Red Cross, others believe UNRWA to be virtually irreplaceable.   

The Social Democrat Carlo Sommaruga told RTS that “punishing UNRWA is above all punishing the population who are in need in Gaza, and there is no alternative.” 

The organisation cares for around 5.9 million descendants of those Palestinians who fled from their homes following the creation of the state of Israel. In addition to running medical and educational facilities, UNRWA says it provides lifesaving aid to 2 million people in Gaza.   

Speaking to SRF, Felix Wettstein, from the Green party and Franziska Roth, from the Social Democratic Party, also defended UNRWA, saying that the catastrophic context on the ground should be taken into consideration. “Support should not be withdrawn from the only local aid organisation without clear evidence,” said Roth.   

What are the potential consequences of the funding cuts? 

Swiss-born Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, has long warned about UNRWA’s financial problems, but the latest accusations may deal a severe blow. Over 90% of the organisation’s budget comes from voluntary donations from countries, and its main donors, the United States (US) and Germany, have already announced they would halt funds.    

Although other countries like China, Russia and some wealthy Arab states offer verbal support to the Palestinians, without concrete funding, UNRWA could collapse. “Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment. This stains all of us,” Lazzarini wrote in a statement.   

UNRWA lifesaving assistance is about to end following countries decisions to cut their funding to the Agency.

Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing. I am shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behavior of a…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 27, 2024External link

 What’s the international reaction?   

During the Trump administration in 2018 the United States had previously suspended aid for the organisation, which was only reinstated in 2021. Now, the Biden administration has opted for an immediate suspension of funding.   

The United Kingdom followed suit, but so did the criticism towards the government’s decision. Amnesty International UK said that pausing funding was a “terrible” decision and it should be reversed.   

Australia, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Romania and the Netherlands are among the countries that have suspended their support.   

In contrast, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has assured continued funding for UNRWA, highlighting its “life-saving assistance to 2.3 million people at incredible personal cost.” Similarly, Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide affirmed ongoing support due to the “catastrophic” situation in Gaza.  

On Tuesday UN secretary general Antonio Guterres met with representatives of key UNRWA donor countries in New York. Guterres said he was “horrified by the accusations”, but he still asked countries to “guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations”.  

Edited by Reto Gysi von Wartburg/amva/livm