The allegations against staffers with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees prompted Western countries to freeze funds vital for the body, which is a lifeline for desperate Palestinians in Gaza. The U.N. fired nine of the 12 accused workers and condemned “the abhorrent alleged acts” of staff members.

The accusations come after years of tensions between Israel and the agency known as UNRWA over its work in Gaza, where it employs roughly 13,000 people.

Despite the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the besieged territory — where Israel’s war against Hamas has displaced the vast majority of the population and officials say a quarter of Palestinians are starving — major donors, including the U.S. and Britain, have cut funding. On Monday, Japan and Austria joined them in pausing assistance.

  • AlmightySnoo 🐢🇮🇱🇺🇦
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    -25 months ago

    even after they fired those people

    An independent investigation is still ongoing as there are 190 accused, not just 9. Those 9 employees are only those against whom the evidence was compelling enough to prompt an immediate firing by the UNRWA.

      • DarkGamer
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        -95 months ago

        Evidently they count people as refugees even if they resettle elsewhere and get citizenship from another country, and all their descendants as well. If your father was a refugee so are you. Which leads to an interesting situation of people who were never personally displaced claiming refugee status for generations.

        • @jonne
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          125 months ago

          So you think a people should just relinquish their claim on their homeland if they haven’t been personally displaced?

            • @jonne
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              15 months ago

              I guess it depends, looks like you can go back 2000 years for Jews, but can’t even go less than 100 for Palestinians.

          • DarkGamer
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            -85 months ago

            I think they shouldn’t qualify as refugees if they haven’t been personally displaced, and I hope one day they realize that lives are more important than claims to land their ancestors lived on. The alternative, violence, is what led to them losing this land in the first place, and is why they continue to lose land and freedoms. Choosing violence has consequences.

            • @jonne
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              65 months ago

              Definitely don’t let Israel know about your anti-Zionist views, you might lose your job.

              • DarkGamer
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                5 months ago

                Because anyone who disagrees with the pitchfork-wielding anti-Israel mob must be a shill, right? lol.

                  • @jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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                    15 months ago

                    Removed, rule 5. Attack the message, not the user.

                    “Rule 5: Keep it civil. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (perjorative, perjorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (perjorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect!”

                • @jonne
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                  5 months ago

                  Nah, I’m just saying that the whole point of Israel/Zionism is to let a people that was dispersed by the Roman Empire 2000 years ago should be allowed to return to their land. What you just said is that they should’ve just gotten over it and made a life whatever they ended up after one generation.

                  Or do the rules only apply to Palestinians, not Jews?

                  • DarkGamer
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                    5 months ago

                    No, what I said was, “they shouldn’t qualify as refugees if they haven’t been personally displaced.” The rest of that is a poor attempt at putting words into my mouth. I never said anything about Jewish claims to the land based on the Roman Empire expelling them being valid.

                    You can’t get away with ad hominem, so you go right for the straw man fallacy. Is that what you consider to be, “engaging in good faith?”