PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak has been accused of a “negation of duty” for failing to reinstate funding to a United Nations agency supplying aid to Gaza.
Sixteen donor states, including Britain, stopped their funding for United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) earlier this year following allegations by Israel that the agency’s employees were involved in the October 7 attack.
But an independent report into the allegations and the UN agency, led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, said Israel had not provided evidence for the claims.
Countries including Canada, France and Germany — one of Israel’s strongest supporters — have already resumed their funding, and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has accepted the report’s findings.
Britain said it was awaiting the publication of the Colonna report, which was released on Monday.
A separate report by three Nordic research bodies also said that Israeli authorities have “not provided any supporting evidence nor responded to letters from UNRWA in March, and again in April, requesting the names and supporting evidence that would enable UNRWA to open an investigation.”
The SNP’s Westminster foreign affairs spokesman Brendan O’Hara has written to Mr Sunak and Foreign Secretary David Cameron to call out the government for not being “concerned with the ongoing intentional starvation of the Palestinian people.”
The Argyll and Bute MP said he understood the initial allegations had to be “taken seriously,” but added: “While the UK has repeatedly told Parliament that it prioritises humanitarian aid into Gaza, we only have evidence to the contrary.”
He said that a failure to reinstate funding was a “categorical negation of duty from both parties and demonstrates to Parliament and the public, that the UK government is not concerned with the ongoing international starvation of the Palestinian people, and potential war crimes being committed by Israel.”
Mr O’Hara said the allegations and subsequent cessation of funding to UNRWA “resulted in the serious inability” of humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinian city.
“The UK government does not feel the need to comment, criticise or contribute to the ongoing deconstruction of the international world order which is unfolding before our eyes,” he said.
“This is shameful.”
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said the PM “has been clear that the UK will set out its position on future funding to UNRWA following careful consideration” of the final Colonna report, UNRWA’s response and the ongoing UN investigation into the allegations.
