UN acknlowledges removal of NGOs that participate in the efforts of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation after Israel’s UN ambassador accuses UN of ‘mafia-like’ behavior.
The United Nations has attributed the recent removal of two relief organizations from its central aid coordination database to an “administrative error,” following Israeli accusations that the delisted groups were affiliated with the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the Jewish news Syndicate reported.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, criticized the removal last week, describing it as a “mafia-like” shakedown against NGOs unwilling to align with the UN’s preferred aid channels.
“The UN is using threats, intimidation, and retaliation against NGOs that choose to participate in the new humanitarian mechanism,” Ambassador Danon stated. “A number of major international NGOs made the decision to take part in the new aid initiative. They ignored the UN’s calls for a boycott. They chose to act because they truly care.”
“This is the gravest violation of the UN’s own principles. It is the extortion of any well-meaning NGO that refuses to kiss the ring. A shakedown with UN-branding.” Danon said.
A UN official, speaking anonymously, acknowledged the error, stating that the issue was promptly rectified after discussions with Israeli representatives. However, Israeli diplomatic sources told the Jewish News Syndicate that the reinstatement occurred only after a tense exchange between a senior IDF officer and Sarah Poole, the UN’s Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.
The GHF, supported by the U.S. and Israel, aims to provide humanitarian assistance directly to Gazans, bypassing traditional UN channels and preventing the aid from being stolen by the Hamas terrorist organization, which has seized much of the aid that has been sent into Gaza since the start of the war.
