During an interview for German radio station HRinfo on October 1st, Dorothee Klaus, Director of UNRWA in Lebanon denied having any knowledge about the role of Fathi al-Sharif as the head of the UNRWA Teachers Union in Lebanon. She also claimed that neither she nor any of her employees knew about his role as the head of Hamas in Lebanon - except she knew and UN Watch has the proof.
English Transcript:
Radio Host:
As in the Gaza Strip UNRWA is now also coming under criticism in Lebanon. Hamas has announced that its highest commander in Lebanon has been killed. We will read about it in a few days. They know a certain Fatih al-Sharif, because he probably worked for them as a teacher. And not just as a simple teacher, but also for the UNRWA Union of Teachers, which he headed. How can someone like that teach children?
Dorothee Klaus:
Fathi al-Sharif has not worked for UNRWA since March. He has also not received a salary because we were afraid, in fact, that he was supporting external activities. I cannot give any information about what kind of function he fulfilled. We were not aware of this. We had an investigation underway, which was due to be completed soon.
Radio Host:
He could have already been a suspect. On the seventh of October last year, when Israel was attacked by Hamas with this terrible massacre. He posted “Allah is the greatest, praise to Allah” on the internet. Didn’t that seem strange to anyone at UNRWA?
Dorothee Klaus:
As I said, we observed him for a long time and then decided to expel him from the organization in March. So he no longer had access to any functions in the organization.
Radio Host:
As a result, several thousand teachers allegedly went on strike to get him back. How big is the problem of infiltration by Hamas people at UNRWA in Lebanon?
Dorothee Klaus:
You have to understand that after the seventh of October, the Palestinians were under extreme pressure and fear. This means that any expressions of solidarity must be understood as private and personal support and not necessarily for any political activities that were not known. This was also not known among our employees.
Radio Host:
This means that if a teacher privately celebrates Hamas attacks, this is irrelevant for his job?
Dorothee Klaus:
As I said, the organization has made a decision to expel the employee from the organization. This is then based on investigation processes that must be completed so that decisions can be made on the basis of evidence. And these decisions are then made.
Radio Host:
But if some Hamas supporters or even Hamas members in their organization have also managed to enter Lebanon, how worried must they be about becoming a target themselves?
Dorothee Klaus:
I can’t say anything about that. There is a security apparatus here that is still functioning, even though the country is currently in a major political, economic and security crisis. But it is still functioning. So there are no fears for the time being.
Dorothee Klaus listening to Fathi al-Sharif publically proclaim his support for Hamas
NEW VIDEO: A month after Hamas massacred 1200 Israelis on October 7, 2023-in the name of “resistance”-UNRWA’s Lebanon director, Dorothee Klaus of Germany, was on stage with Fathi al-Sharif, the leader of Hamas in Lebanon and head of the UNRWA Teachers Union. Why, @dualbfield? https://t.co/zjPBT87y0Y pic.twitter.com/cB10cjXf2C
- Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 2, 2024
