Switzerland and UNRWA: timeline of a rocky relationship

As the United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees faces an existential crisis, Switzerland is questioning whether to continue funding the organisation – the latest chapter in the country’s turbulent history with the agency. The future of UNRWA, which assists 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, is in doubt. In October, the Israeli parliament approved legislation banning it from operating in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Previously Israel claimed that several of the agency’s workers participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks against Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed. After two inquiries – one finding possible links to the attack for nine staff and the other failing to get evidence to support Israel’s allegation – most major donors, with the exception of the United States, ended their temporary suspension of funding for UNRWA. Some, such as Spain and Qatar, even increased their donations. The agency, which also operates in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon ...