Writing from the perspective of a journalist who has provided intense coverage of UNRWA since 1987, there are at least two reasons to question the veracity of a widely circulated yet unsourced news report, “Israel, UAE collaborating to eliminate UNRWA”, which ran in the JPOST on December 27, 2020
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/israel-uae-plotting-to-eliminate-unrwa-report-653356
Why doubt the truth of this report?
- Only the UN General Assembly can determine the status of UNRWA since only the UNGA oversees UNRWA’s mandate.
- The UAE, which has more than quadrupled its unconditional donations to UNRWA since 2017, reaching $52 million in 2019, represents the largest donor to UNRWA in the Arab world, demonstrating total loyalty to the status UNRWA as it now functions. In that context, UNRWA has promoted the UAE to head the UNRWA advisory council, which comprises all 47 nations that contribute to UNRWA.