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Or sign-in if you have an account.A woman holds an Israeli flag and a sign while protesting outside the West Bank field office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem on March 20, 2024. UNRWA fired 70 workers last week for alleged ties with Hamas. Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP via Getty ImagesLast week the United Nations agency responsible for Gaza fired 70 of its workers amid allegations of deep ties to Hamas terrorists in the enclave.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. 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Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorTwenty-four hours later our reckless and tone-deaf foreign minister announced another $100 million for Gaza and the West Bank — for a total of $500 million to Palestinians that might as well have had Hamas written on the cheques.A statement from Anita Anand said the new money was to support the UN, Red Cross, Red Crescent and NGOs in delivering assistance to Palestinians in the region.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe statement also noted the funding was “largely flexible and unearmarked,” meaning Canada has no controls over the use of the money and thus there is no accountability.What an absolute waste of taxpayer dollars.The UN has been having a tough time of it recently with a report alleging staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) work for Hamas and a UN special rapporteur claiming she was “bullied” by colleagues for trying to reveal the true scale and terror of Oct. 7.On June 5, an investigation by USAID claimed 101 current or former UNRWA members, including principals, teachers, security personnel, attendants, psychosocial counsellors, and medical professionals, took part in the Oct. 7 massacre or were affiliated with the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.One teacher had expertise as a sniper for Hamas. A math teacher was linked to the Qassam intelligence squad. Several other teachers were squad leaders for infantry battalions, alleged the investigative report.The report noted that USAID’s priority was to “ensure that U.S.-funded humanitarian assistance in Gaza does not fall into the hands of Hamas and other foreign terrorist organizations.”Canada, on the other hand, just gives its money away.Six days after USAID’s report, UNRWA fired 70 staff members in Gaza with immediate effect.But in announcing that decision, UNRWA seemed to wrap itself into nonsensical knots.“The dismissal of the staff is not part of a disciplinary process and does not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against them,” it said. So why fire them?In a statement, Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, an organization that has reported UNRWA’s ties to Hamas, said the firings were a “small beginning.”But he also noted the UN’s “incoherent” position. “Firing people while refusing to acknowledge why reveals an institution still more interested in protecting itself and its Hamas-embedded workforce than in genuine neutrality or accountability.”Meanwhile, a day before Anand made her announcement, came extraordinary revelations from UN special rapporteur on torture Alice Edwards about pressure from her colleagues to water down a letter detailing the Oct. 7 massacre.Edwards visited Israel — on her own dime — to document what happened on Oct. 7.The letter detailed murders, decapitations, torture, mutilations, burning people alive, sexual torture, including gang rapes, mutilation of sexual organs and hostage-taking.“Most of these alleged acts correspond to war crimes and, when perpetrated as part of a widespread or systematic attack, they would constitute crimes against humanity,” wrote Edwards.But the letter became the subject of a severe backlash from within the UN.“There was a campaign to prevent that letter from going out. There were weeks of being bullied and deterred from writing it and telling me that everything in it was false,” she said in a question and answer session at University College London and reported on by The Jewish Chronicle.“Some other special rapporteurs and working groups had wanted to sign on, but they also had been bullied by others not to sign on, and there was this concerted effort for this letter not to put on record some allegations that had been received.”She added all the comments from her colleagues had to be taken into account and “the letter shrank considerably.”The letter was eventually “transmitted” to Hamas via the Permanent Mission of the State of Palestine in Geneva.That a letter that simply reported on and condemned what happened on Oct. 7 became the subject of such a vitriolic campaign is evidence of deep anti-Israel rot within the UN.“Politicization is not new to the United Nations; it reflects the divisions of the world it serves,” said Edwards in reply to queries from the National Post.Nonetheless, she said she would not be deterred from documenting the atrocities.“Our credibility depends on maintaining public confidence that human rights are applied universally. Where people perceive selectivity, double standards or political alignment, confidence is weakened,” she said.“No entity — state or non-state — should be left without scrutiny.”Scrutiny and accountability at the UN maybe a pipe dream but they should be the hallmarks of any Canadian government. Instead, this Liberal government has recklessly squandered half a billion dollars.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.