In an official submission to a U.S. court, the United Nations, with the backing of the U.S. Department of Justice, is asserting that UNRWA employees involved in the October 7 massacre should be shielded from legal prosecution.
It has been revealed that 10% of UNRWA staff are connected to a terror organization, and at least 12 employees took part in the events of October 7: six were among the terrorists who crossed the border to join the assault, two assisted in kidnapping Israelis, another two were identified at locations where numerous Israelis were killed, and others helped manage logistics for the attack, including weapon procurement.
In the legal document presented to the U.S. court, it is argued that the UNRWA workers involved are immune from prosecution. “Since the UN has not waived their immunity in this case, its subsidiary organization, UNRWA, continues to enjoy absolute immunity from prosecution, and the lawsuit should be dismissed,” stated UNRWA in its response.
The U.S. Department of Justice supported this stance, adding: “The plaintiffs’ complaint does not present a theory under which the United Nations waived its immunity. Therefore, since the UN has not waived their immunity in this case, its subsidiary organization, UNRWA, continues to enjoy absolute immunity from prosecution, and the lawsuit against the defendant UNRWA should be dismissed due to the lack of subject matter.”
For some time now, Israel has been pushing for action against UNRWA, both domestically and internationally. This includes legal actions and efforts to pass legislation that would lead to the organization’s dissolution. In addition to governmental measures, Israeli groups have been privately advocating against UNRWA. Following the massacre, the IDF has killed multiple UNRWA employees, emphasizing that these individuals were either directly involved in the massacre or were supporting Hamas in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
{Matzav.com Israel}