As Donors Suspend Critical Funding to UNRWA, Allegations Against Staff Remain Murky

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, severed the contracts of staffers accused by Israel of taking part in the Hamas killing spree of Oct. 7. Yet the Israelis refuse to share evidence to the UN agency or to the larger UN organization about the allegations. Meanwhile, major donors to UNRWA have frozen funding just as Gazans face life or death situations. BBC SCREEN GRAB […]

February 6, 2024 5

World

International Community Must Not Waver in Its Commitment to Two-State Solution, Secretary-General Tells Palestinian Rights Committee

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the opening of the 2024 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in New York today: Mr. Chair, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, congratulations on your election to the Bureau. The Committee’s mandate and advocacy are crucial amidst the unresolved Question of Palestine and the enormous violence and suffering, particularly since the horrific 7 October attack by […]

February 1, 2024 17

World

Hamas vows retaliation following Israeli military operation

Hamas is vowing to respond, after the Israeli military assassinated three Palestinian men in the West Bank early Tuesday morning, accusing them of plotting an imminent terror attack. Security footage is being shared online, appearing to show an undercover special forces team entering a hospital before killing the trio.

February 1, 2024 43

World

Iran has so far resisted direct involvement in the Gaza war, but is that changing?

By James Devine, Mount Allison University Iran has tried to keep the war in Gaza at arm’s length by providing support for Hamas through armed groups it backs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. The Islamic Republic has indicated it wants neither to get directly involved in the fighting nor see the conflict escalate across the region. But as illustrated by the recent drone attack by pro-Iranian militias in Jordan […]

January 31, 2024 7

Oshiwambo

Iilongo oyindji otayi kuthapo omakwatho kehangano lyo UNRWA

Omusholondondo gwiilongo tayi kuthapo manga omakwatho kehangano enene lyiigwana ya hangana lyomakwatho gaa Palestine-UNRWA -otagu koko,sha landula omafekelo ga Israel kutya aanilonga yalyo ya yooloka okwali yea kutha ombinga moshiponokela sho Hamas shomu 7th October. O CNN oya lopota kutya New Zealand okwa ningi oshilongo shongaashingeyi oku kaleka omakwatho,a wayimine USA,UK,Germany,Italy,Japan,Australia,France,Aust-ria,Switzerland,Finland,Canada,Romania na Netherlands. O European Union otayi tsikile okuyambidhidha ehangano lyo United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in […]

January 30, 2024 21

Opinion Pieces

ICJ ruling is a victory for human rights and justice

“The Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of Justice, the Hague, Netherlands. The court is the principal judicial body of the United Nations.” Photo: United Nations via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Deed) By GroundUp Editors via GroundUp The ruling on Friday by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a victory for human rights and justice. Fifteen of the seventeen judges found that South Africa made a plausible case that the dreadful […]

January 29, 2024 16

World

Qatar ‘appalled’ at alleged criticism by Netanyahu

Qatar said Wednesday it was "appalled" by remarks attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was allegedly caught on tape calling the emirate's role as mediator in the Gaza war "problematic". At a meeting this week with the families of hostages held in Gaza, Netanyahu blamed Qatar for financing Hamas and said he was upset at a US decision to extend the presence of a military base in the […]

January 25, 2024 6

World

Two-State Solution ‘Only Way to Avoid Endless Cycles of Fear, Hatred, Violence’, Secretary-General Tells Security Council Debate on Middle East

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, in New York today: Over 100 days have passed since more than 1,200 Israelis and others were killed in the horrific terror attacks launched by Hamas against Israel, with over 250 people taken hostage. For all those affected, these have been 100 days of heartache and anguish. Nothing can justify […]

January 24, 2024 10

Opinion Pieces

The Narrow Aid Pipeline to Gaza Could Shrink Further If Israel Gets Its Way

A scene from a Gaza hospital, posted by WHO director Dr. Tedros on X/Twitter, Dec. 24, 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to seize control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a stretch of land running along the Egypt-Gaza border, to enable Israeli forces’ eradication of Hamas and its tunnel network in Gaza’s south. But a 2005 treaty disallows an Israeli takeover of the corridor. By Fatma Katr via PassBlue Israel’s […]

January 19, 2024 14

Hamas