David Caplin

A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians & forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.   It would have a devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank & across the wider region.

How UNRWA's Fiercest Opponent Steers the Campaign From Geneva Hillel Neuer has been warning about the terrorist infiltration of UNRWA for years. The director of UN Watch feels vindicated by the latest revelations about the attack on October 7. By Andrea Kučera | 03.02.2024 For years, Geneva-based human rights lawyer Hillel Neuer has been working to dismantle the Palestinian relief organization UNRWA. He has never been closer to his goal than he is now: this Wednesday in the US House of Representatives, the director of the organization UN Watch is calling for support for the discredited organization not only to be suspended, but to be stopped for good. “UNRWA is rotten to the core,” claims Neuer. The 53-year-old is holding his NGO's latest report in his hand, which he calls “UNRWA's Terrorgram.” For him, it is the latest proof of the infiltration of the aid organization by the terrorist organization Hamas. On 63 pages, UN Watch presents screenshots from a Telegram chat of allegedly over 3,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza, mainly teachers, in which the Hamas massacre of October 7 is glorified. Hillel Neuer's speech in the House of Representatives on January 31 was clicked on over 170,000 times within three days. Several of them posted that they were praying for the success of the holy warriors, while others shared pictures or videos of the bloody storming of a kibbutz. “Israel's time is up,” writes one. The organization lists a total of 30 such hate messages in its report. “You shouldn't be surprised about what happened on October 7,” Neuer tells the Congress members, “because that's the message Palestinians have been getting in UNRWA schools for 70 years.” It is important to note that the UN organization in Gaza, but also in Lebanon and Jordan, is responsible for the education of Palestinians, among other things. At the end of his speech, Neuer unexpectedly refers to the Swiss Foreign Minister: “We have to admit it: Ignazio Cassis was right when he said that by supporting UNRWA we are keeping the conflict alive. It is time to put an end to this perverse logic.” Cassis did indeed question the payments to UNRWA in a high-profile interview in 2018. However, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not wish to comment on whether they agreed with the quote in this context. Their comment: “The Swiss Foreign Ministry does not fund the UN Watch organization and does not comment on the statements of its Executive Director.” Harsh accusations against Philippe Lazzarini Just under a week has passed since the Wall Street Journal reported, with reference to Israeli intelligence sources, on the allegations that at least 12 employees of the UN aid organization in Gaza were involved in the massacre at the beginning of October. Since then, more and more donors have suspended their support for UNRWA. And Neuer is the man of the hour. The Swiss-Canadian dual citizen from Geneva not only speaks in front of the U.S. Congress, he also gives interviews on CNN and ABC News, posts on X and Instagram, which are seen by millions of people and liked by tens of thousands. 📺unwatch.org/blog/ The extent of his influence was demonstrated once again this week. In a radio interview, the Israeli ambassador to Germany referred to the Telegram chat of the 3,000 UNRWA teachers to call on Germany to definitively stop aid payments. UN Watch is also shaping the debate about UNRWA in Switzerland. During the budget debate in December, the Swiss People's Party (SVP) repeatedly referred to the Geneva-based NGO's research in order to plead for an end to aid payments. What is the truth of Neuer's claims? Has the UN not taken the warnings about the infiltration of UNRWA by terrorists seriously enough? “UNRWA's Teachers of Hate” or “UN Teachers Call for the Murder of Jews” are the names of the reports that UN Watch has sent to those responsible at the UN in recent years. unwatch.org/the-case-against… They have never received a reply, says the controversial human rights lawyer in an interview with this newspaper. Critics say that UN Watch is not a human rights organization but is lobbying on behalf of Israel. Neuer denies any connection to the Israeli government. His organization does not receive a penny from the state, he says. “All our donors are private individuals or foundations.” His stance is radical: those responsible for UNRWA, above all the Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini, are partly responsible for the Hamas attack. “Lazzarini knew that his employees were glorifying terror, we pointed this out to him several times. But he did nothing about it.” The top Swiss diplomat firmly rejects this harsh accusation. Through a spokesperson, Lazzarini says that UNRWA is a bastion against hatred and violence in a complex environment. A security check is carried out on all employees at the beginning of every employment and every six months. However, as an aid organization, UNRWA has neither a police force nor a secret service. “The organization has neither the legal authority nor the capacity to monitor the activities of its employees outside of work.” Moreover, the names of all UNRWA employees are shared with the Israeli Foreign Ministry every year. The 2022 list also included the names of the employees who allegedly took part in the attack. “Israel has not expressed reservations about any of them,” writes UNRWA. SVP Wants to Invite Hillel Neuer to the Swiss Parliament Is UNRWA part of the solution or the problem? A showdown is soon to take place in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swiss Parliament: on March 25th, the National Council will discuss whether Switzerland should continue to support the aid organization despite the allegations of terrorism. It is already known that Lazzarini will be heard. Now the SVP is also demanding an invitation for Neuer. "I want the pro-Israeli side to have its say in the commission," confirms SVP National Councillor Pierre-André Page. Neuer would gladly accept the invitation: "I have important facts to contribute about UNRWA."