Transcript
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for letting me address the summit for a future beyond UNRWA. I don’t have all the answers for how to arrange for the future, but I will touch on why the UN and international community are failing.
The Oslo Accord from 1993 is dead. The development on Gaza has gone from bad to worse. Hamas had full control and no ambitions to hold elections. In fact, Hamas has the same ambitions they always have had. A total destruction of Israel. And they do this on several levels. Money from the international community is a central part. But there is much more. The children are being indoctrinated from an early age. Hatred and dehumanizing of Jews - it’s a theme in all schools.
For many years, Western policies in the Middle East were national debates. The support for Israel was strong, but gradually this has changed. There are any reasons for this. New generations are growing up and they do not relate to the Second World War, but they are also influenced by media, teachers, organizations, and, lately, the influx of immigration, particularly of Muslims, who all take the side of the Palestinians. Today these factors are drowning Norwegian politics, and the voices for Israel are small and threatened.
In Norway, we have seen large demonstrations and angry protestors with a message “from the river to the sea.” The hatred of Israel and of Jews is openly expressed. We even had an incident where a man with a Palestinian background encouraged people on Facebook to make a list of all people who expressed their views in favor of Israel.
It gives those flashbacks to the 1930s. European politicians are becoming scared. Their own failed policy over the years have come back to haunt them. Today, Norway is facilitating an arrangement that will enable the Palestinian Authority to receive clearance revenues that Israel collects on its behalf. In the wake of the terrorist attack by Hamas on the 7th of October, the situation between the parties has been deadlocked. The temporary scheme will play a crucial role in preventing the Palestinian Authority from collapsing financially.
And further, despite all the critical voices everywhere, Norway has decided to double its contribution to UNRWA. Norway has agreed on a temporary solution in which Norway will serve as an intermediary for holding the portions of the clearance revenues tax that Israel has withheld since the 7th of October. The Palestinian Authority is then willing to accept the other funds. The Palestinian Authority has welcomed this arrangement, and appreciates the effort to find a temporary solution in this extraordinary situation.
The Norwegian government calls this an extraordinary situation, and our Foreign Minister stressed that he is pleased Norway can assist the parties in this way.
And then we are presented with all the arguments of how innocent Palestinians are suffering and that the financial system is breaking down. Or, to use the words of our Minister of Foreign Affairs, “UNRWA is in a critical financial situation. Major donors are withholding funds following allegations that 12 out of the organization’s 13,000 staff in Gaza were involved in Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October. These allegations are shocking, and we expect full transparency,” the minister said. “There must be zero tolerance for such actions. However, we should not collectively punish millions of people for the alleged wrongdoing of 12 staff members. I urge all donors that have suspended their support to think about the consequences. The situation is dire not only for the population of Gaza but also for Palestinians throughout the Middle East.” Not a word on the terror attack on Israel in which an elected authority in Gaza, Hamas, cold-bloodedly killed 1200 Israelis and took 200 hostages.
It makes no sense that the U.N. has its own agency for Palestinian refugees for at least three reasons. One, who are the refugees we refer to, and why are they termed as refugees? What are today’s Palestinian refugees fleeing from?
The term “refugees” is not hereditary. We have now third-generation refugees. Most of them were not even born in 1948. UNRWA is the main reason for the status quo. Money is being poured in with little control. The money is financing Hamas terror and makes it possible for Hamas to buy weapons, build terror infrastructure, and build palaces in Qatar.
