By an overwhelming vote of 88 to 49, the Parliament of the Netherlands has voted to begin cutting funding to UNRWA, citing its complicity with terrorism. Sweden also just announced its elimination of funding for UNRWA.
The Netherlands and Sweden are the first EU states to defund UNRWA, setting a major precedent for others to follow.
Ahead of the vote in The Hague, UN Watch had submitted key information on UNRWA’s terror ties, in a position paper published on the Parliament’s official website in June. Hillel Neuer then appeared in The Hague for the parliamentary debate on UNRWA, in a clash that went viral on the internet.
The Dutch motion stated that “UNRWA as an organization has been in disrepute,” with “staff members glorifying violence in Telegram groups.” This refers to the chat group with 3,000 UNRWA teachers that celebrated the October 7th massacre, exposed in a January report by UN Watch.
The Swedish announcement noted the difficulties facing UNRWA in wake of new Israeli legislation outlawing the agency, and said it will instead redirect funding to the World Food Program, UNICEF, the ICRC and other agencies. Sweden also cited the “crisis of confidence” in UNRWA which has been “criticized for decades for a lack of neutrality” such as “employees participating in terrorism and antisemitic schoolbooks.”
HISTORIC DEFEAT FOR UNRWA: 🇳🇱 Netherlands Parliament just voted 88-49 to phase out funding for UNRWA by 2029, citing its complicity with terror. This is first EU state to defund UNRWA, setting major precedent. We had presented key info ahead of the vote: https://t.co/btMIkRbdzb https://t.co/SvAWBzkmvH
- Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) December 13, 2024
BREAKING: 🇸🇪 Sweden ends all funding for UNRWA, redirecting aid to trusted groups. Second EU state to announce in one week, after the Netherlands. Momentum is on our side. We are going to run terrorist-infested UNRWA into the ground. Peace now has a brighter future. 🧵⬇️
- Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) December 20, 2024
