Mick Hartley

I saw the headline – Former State Department Advisor Hazem Alghabra Clashes with BBC TV Host Over U.S. Suspending UNRWA Funding – and wondered who was was for suspending aid to UNRWA and who was against. Well, of course…

Hazem Alghabra, former State Department advisor, speaking from Washington D.C., clashed with BBC TV host, Mohamed Abdul Hamid, over American suspension of UNRWA funding on a January 30, 2024 show on BBC Arabic (U.K.). He said that 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attacks against Israel and that UNRWA centers and schools are used to store weapons and rockets, some of which were even launched at Israel from within them. Alghabra continued to say that Hamas uses UNRWA to provide food, schooling, and salaries to the people of Gaza so it can focus on digging tunnels and manufacture weapons. He said that Hamas has gone so far as to say that it is not responsible to provide the basic needs of the people of Gaza because it is under occupation (see MEMRITV clip no 10585). Abdul Hamid responded that Hamas’s statement is correct and that the UN and UNRWA are not doing any favors to the people of Gaza by providing aid to them, it is their duty to do so under international law. Alghabra said that Hamas cannot be part of Gaza’s future and that the people of Gaza must spew them out. To this Abudl Hamid replied that it is unfair that the civilians in Gaza are used to drive Hamas out of their leadership role in Gaza. Alghabra said that no country is obligated to support UNRWA, and they can choose to stop this support so UNRWA can reform itself and the Palestinians can make better decisions.

After UNRWA, maybe BBC Arabic should be the next to get defunded.

From October:

The BBC has launched an urgent investigation into some of its journalists working for its Arabic service after they appeared to back Hamas and called the attacks on Israel 'a morning of hope'.