Now that UNRWA is cleared of wrongdoing, will Israel face accountability?

Israel has not yet provided evidence to support its claims that a "significant" number of employees at the United Nation relief agency for Palestinian refugees maintain ties with "terrorist" groups and helped facilitate the October 7 attacks.

These were the recent findings from an independent panel tasked with reviewing the neutrality of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The review was commissioned by the UN after Israel made its allegations against UNRWA staff in February.

The 54-page report confirms that Israel failed to provide any credible evidence to back its claims, justifying UNRWA's innocence and strengthening the case for long-due accountability.

But the damage has already been done, to some extent. More than a dozen international donors suspended nearly half a billion dollars in aid following Israel's claims. Some have restarted aid, but not enough to mitigate the shortages of food, water and sanitary conditions caused by Israel's war.

Report findings

Previously, UNRWA said that it didn't receive any information from Israel to back allegations of employee links to "terrorist" groups. The UN agency maintained this position from the outset, while Israel claimed it had "intelligence" connecting around 10 percent of all agency staff to Palestinian armed groups.

However, Israel has refused to translate that "intelligence" into admissible evidence.

Meanwhile, the report confirms that UNRWA routinely communicated its staff lists to Israel for vetting and scrutiny, and that the latter never informed the agency of "any concerns relating to any UNRWA staff" since 2011.

The fact is, Israel has been using dubious intelligence allegations to discredit the life-saving agency and further its goal of genocide in Gaza. The country claimed that UNRWA was becoming a "haven" for radical ideology, but also willingly undermined UNRWA's efforts to conduct an open and transparent probe.

To UNRWA's own credit, the agency repeatedly sent letters to Israel in March and April, requesting staff names and credible evidence to see the investigation through. And yet, Israel has failed to follow up with any proof to date.

Historical obfuscation

This discord between rhetoric and evidence is not new.

For over a decade, Israel hasn't raised any objections to UNRWA employees based on information shared by the agency. But it has been quick to blame the same UN agency for "deepening ties" with Hamas, while sidestepping accountability for killing dozens of UNRWA staff members in Gaza.

Interestingly, the report findings also suggest Israel has been using terrorism as an excuse to dismantle UNRWA and hamper its life-saving operations in Gaza. One example from not too long ago is when Israel accused the UN agency of letting Hamas divert aid in Gaza.

Detailed reporting however found that Israel was the one guilty of obstructing aid into Gaza by supporting siege tactics and denying humanitarian movement. Similarly, Israel's claim that UNRWA breached neutrality doesn't entirely hold up.

According to the review group headed by former French former minister Catherine Colonna, UNRWA operates with the "most elaborate" rules across the entire UN system. It is also on-course to improving regulatory safeguards in accordance with its mandate.

If anything, the findings reinforce UNRWA's long-standing status as an indispensable source of humanitarian and economic assistance for Palestinians. The agency's life-saving operations in Gaza, including efforts to address man-made famine risks, ran counter to Israel's broader goals of using starvation as a weapon of war.

Manmade famine

It would thus be a mistake to assume that Israel was even remotely focused on advancing the UN probe.

It lobbied Western allies to take its unsubstantiated "terrorism" allegations at face value, prompting major donors to ultimately suspend $450 million in critical funding for UNRWA.

These cuts facilitated a man-made famine that has spread across Gaza, making it easier for Israel to advance genocidal aggression without due resistance. For Israel, the goal was to steer scrutiny away from the independent panel's findings, and instead support efforts to dismantle UNRWA altogether.

Considering the report findings, that latter objective appears increasingly out of reach. The panel has exposed the very premise of Israel's attack against the UN agency. Findings from a separate UN probe are also on the way.

"The Colonna report ignores the severity of the problem, and offers cosmetic solutions that do not deal with the enormous scope of Hamas' infiltration of UNRWA," alleged Israel's foreign ministry spokesperson, calling on donors to continue defunding the agency.

Key Western allies, including the European Union, don't appear to agree. In response to the report's findings, the EU described UNRWA as the "Palestinian refugees' lifeline" and called on donors to resume funding.

But that's not enough. The West must also make every effort to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza.

Its dubious allegations increasingly constrainted UNRWA's ability to sustain its operations, confining its support to voluntary donations amid an ongoing brutal war. Prospects of an enduring ceasefire also hold little weight if the principal agency for coordinating life-saving aid, shelter, healthcare, education, and emergency relief is denied active facilitation.

Major Western countries can build on the recommendations of the review panel. These include tangible efforts to strengthen consultation with donors, and further embedding UNRWA within the humanitarian coordination system to drive inter-agency coordination in Gaza.

For Washington, the onus of responsibility is perhaps the greatest: it banned funding for UNRWA until at least 2025, and has held significant influence over agency operations throughout the years. The US must immediately move to resume funding and urge allies to do the same.

Notably, the new report isn't just another inquiry into one of Israel's many lies. It is the result of coordination with 47 countries and organisations and over 200 interviews, representing a global call to action.