FLASHBACK: Media trusted UN agency reportedly filled with Hamas terrorists
Mainstream news outlets rely on UNRWA officials in Gaza for coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas
It wouldn’t be the first time the media have treated thinly-veiled Hamas proxies as reliable sources.
The United States and other countries have suspended funding to UNRWA after allegations that a significant number of its staff members in Gaza are affiliated with Palestinian terror groups. The Israeli government claims that at least 12 UNRWA workers participated in a massacre carried out by Hamas, which sparked the war.
While an investigation is underway, the United Nations has criticized the defunding of UNRWA, emphasizing its importance in serving the community. However, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy argues that other aid agencies could easily replace UNRWA.
There have been numerous red flags about UNRWA over the years, but news outlets have generally portrayed it as the voice of an oppressed people.
‘We’re losing an inner sense of humanity”: UNRWA director who has family sheltering in Gaza. Watch here: https://t.co/Rq6HmGcONc
— The ReidOut (@thereidout) October 26, 2023
UNRWA’s Juliette Touma: ‘Gaza is being pushed into the abyss’ during ‘exodus’ from northern Gaza @MSNBC @JulietteTouma https://t.co/t4mVI52Wcw
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) October 13, 2023
NBC News, Dec. 30: “Israeli Soldiers Fired at Aid Convoy, UNRWA Chief Says”:
“Our international convoy leader and his team were not injured but one vehicle sustained damage,” [UNRWA director Thomas White] said. “Aid workers should never be a target,” he added.
New York Times, Dec. 29: “UN Says Israeli Forces Fired on Aid Convoy in Central Gaza”:
No one in the convoy was injured, the officials said, but the episode highlighted the severe challenges facing humanitarian efforts to help Palestinians struggling to survive amid Israel’s nearly 12-week bombardment of the enclave.
Associated Press, Dec. 6: “Senior UN Official Denounces ‘Blatant Disregard’ in Israel-Hamas War After Many UN Sites Are Hit”:
“There is absolutely no safe place in the Gaza Strip,” Lazzarini said, speaking to the AP in Beirut.
While the circumstances of those strikes are difficult to investigate amid the ongoing conflict, he said, “I do believe that the blatant disregard of U.N. premises … will require an independent investigation in the future.”
Reuters, Nov. 16: “UN Palestinian Agency Says Gaza Operations Being Deliberately Strangled”
The head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency said on Thursday he believed there was a deliberate attempt to “strangle” its humanitarian work in Gaza, warning that the agency may have to entirely suspend its operations due to a lack of fuel.
CNN, Nov. 11: “‘The Gaza Strip Is Being Strangled by the Siege’, Says UNRWA Chief”:
[Anchor Christiane Amanpour:] I mean, how do you categorize this then? Is it accidental? Is it a war crime? Is it deliberately not distinguishing between civilians and Hamas fighters? [Lazzarini:] Listen, according to international humanitarian law, there is a criteria of proportionality and also of distinction. When I was briefing this week the Security Council, I said, the number of people being killed so far is so staggering that this cannot be collateral anymore.”
Washington Post, Nov. 11: “GOP Targets Gaza’s Biggest Relief Group, Clashing With the White House”:
Top congressional Republicans are pushing to reject new funding for Gaza’s biggest humanitarian relief operation, citing its alleged ties to Hamas even as the aid organization begs for help responding to the mounting bloodshed in the Palestinian territory. …
In a statement, the White House said there are no known instances of U.S. aid for UNRWA being diverted to Hamas or any other sanctioned group in Gaza or the West Bank in recent years.
When President Donald Trump cut funding to UNRWA in 2018, the coverage was filled with experts decrying the “capricious” and “heartless” decision.
New York Times, Aug. 31, 2018: “US To End Funding to UN Agency That Helps Palestinian Refugees”:
“What we’re seeing right now is a capricious move that has a very high risk of unsettling the region,” [former United States Agency for International Development official, R. David] Harden said, noting that the relief agency supported about 5 million refugees across the Middle East.
Nicholas Burns, a Harvard Kennedy School professor and a former senior United States diplomat who has worked on the Palestinian issue, called the change “heartless and unwise” and a reflection of “the most one-sided U.S. policy since 1948,” when President Truman recognized the newly established state of Israel.
“The Trump Administration’s decision to end U.S. assistance to Palestinian refugees is wrong on every level,” Mr. Burns said on Twitter. “It will harm innocent people, particularly young Palestinians.”
CNN, Feb. 12, 2018: “A Palestinian High School Threatened by Trump Funding Cuts”:
“It’s a violation of our human rights, which America claims to teach us,” 11th grader Sally Sabah tells CNN’s Ben Wedeman.
NPR, Feb. 8, 2018: “‘Half a Million Children’ Are at Risk if the US Cuts Palestinian Aid: UN Agency”:
New York Times, Jan. 16, 2018: “US Withholds $65 Million From UN Relief Agency for Palestinians”:
Tuesday’s announced cut alarmed United Nations officials and aid groups that regard the United Nations Relief and Works Agency as a critical pillar of well-being for Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza and in neighboring countries.
The Norwegian Refugee Council, which works in more than 30 countries, urged the Trump administration to reconsider, saying that the funding reduction will have ”devastating consequences for vulnerable Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.”
At the United Nations, Secretary General António Guterres said he was “very concerned” about any cuts to the agency.
It’s not just UNRWA. The media have a record of failing to recognize that their favorite sources in Gaza are terrorists or at least supporters of terrorism—from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry to the experts and reporters they employ in the territory.
Former Associated Press correspondent Matti Friedman argued in a 2014 essay for Tablet that many journalists are willing hostages of the terrorists.
The fact is that Hamas intimidation is largely beside the point because the actions of Palestinians are beside the point: Most reporters in Gaza believe their job is to document violence directed by Israel at Palestinian civilians. That is the essence of the Israel story. In addition, reporters are under deadline and often at risk, and many don’t speak the language and have only the most tenuous grip on what is going on. They are dependent on Palestinian colleagues and fixers who either fear Hamas, support Hamas, or both. Reporters don’t need Hamas enforcers to shoo them away from facts that muddy the simple story they have been sent to tell.
What are the arguments for and against the defunding of UNRWA, and what impact could this have on the Palestinian refugee community?
Funding for Palestinian Refugees, Cuts Citing ’Irredeemably Flawed’ UN Agency”:
”This UN agency [UNRWA] has an irredeemably flawed operation and is deeply politically biased,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said […]. ”That neutrality is paramount.”
Throughout these examples, it is evident that mainstream news outlets often rely on UNRWA officials in Gaza for coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas. However, these outlets fail to adequately address the controversies surrounding UNRWA and the potential affiliations of its staff members with Palestinian terror groups.
The suspension of funding to UNRWA by the United States and other countries underscores their concerns regarding the organization’s credibility and potential links to terrorism. The Israeli government has accused at least 12 UNRWA workers of participating in a massacre carried out by Hamas, further emphasizing the need for clarification and investigation into UNRWA’s operations.
Despite these allegations and the ongoing investigation, the United Nations has criticized the defunding of UNRWA, highlighting its importance in serving the community. However, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy suggests that other aid agencies could easily replace UNRWA, raising questions about the necessity of continued support for the organization.
In recent years, there have been several red flags concerning UNRWA, but news outlets have generally portrayed it as the voice of an oppressed people. The reliance on UNRWA officials for coverage of the conflict perpetuates a one-sided narrative and fails to provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
It is crucial for news outlets to exercise caution and impartiality when reporting on such complex and sensitive matters. By relying heavily on UNRWA officials without critically examining the controversies surrounding the organization, mainstream news outlets risk presenting a skewed perspective and undermining their credibility as reliable sources of information.
A more balanced and thorough approach to reporting is necessary to ensure accurate and unbiased coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas. This entails conducting independent investigations, considering multiple perspectives, and providing a platform for alternative voices that may challenge the narrative often portrayed by UNRWA officials.
Only by engaging in responsible, ethical journalism can news outlets truly fulfill their role as providers of accurate and objective information to the public.
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