Jeremy Scahill: Israel Has Waged a “Deliberate Propaganda Campaign” to Justify Brutal Gaza Assault
Democracy NowJan 31
Israel Asks UNRWA Chief to Quit Over Hamas 'Tunnel' Under Gaza HQ
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Image copyright: Amir Levy/Stringer/Getty Images News
The Facts
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Saturday called for Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to resign after it claimed to have discovered a Hamas tunnel underneath the agency's Gaza City headquarters.
On Thursday, the Israeli military invited journalists from multiple international news outlets to visit the site in the al-Rimal neighborhood, that it alleged served as a key communications and intelligence hub for Hamas fighters.
The Spin
Pro-Palestine narrative
The US and Israel-led campaign to demonize UNRWA as Gaza's humanitarian situation deteriorates even further is immoral and cruel. Even if Israel's unfounded allegations are true, the number of employees implicated wouldn't be nearly enough to warrant suspending the agency's funding, which is essential to providing basic amenities to displaced Palestinians. Targeting UNRWA is a form of collective punishment that will only hurt innocent civilians.
Pro-Israel narrative
There's no question that UNRWA has been at least partially complicit in Hamas' atrocious actions. Hamas is an authoritarian terrorist group, and no organization can operate in Gaza without its approval and cooperation. Since its establishment, UNRWA has created false hope among Palestinians that Israel will one day cease to exist. A comprehensive review of the agency and its purpose is long overdue.
