As a calculation problem, the matter is simple. The number of martyrs during the first Intifada was 1,392. During the second Intifada there were 4,673. The math book then asks for the total “number of martyrs of the Intifadas”. The calculation example comes from a textbook for schools from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It is part of an Israeli secret service dossier that the Israeli embassy in Berlin presented to German journalists for inspection on Thursday. Much of the information contained therein is already publicly known, but in the opinion of Ambassador Ron Prosor, the German public is not sufficiently aware of it.
The compiled material is intended to prove that the terrorist organization Hamas and the UNRWA in Gaza are practically inseparably intertwined – and it is intended to help Israel in a situation in which the Federal Government’s criticism of the Israeli army’s actions in the Gaza Strip is becoming increasingly sharper and the The question is how sustainable the special relationship still is.
Germany’s tone towards Israel has changed
Prosor appreciates that Germany stood in solidarity with Israel from “day one” after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th, which left more than 120 dead and around 200 hostages taken. At the time, Chancellor Olaf Scholz was one of the first international politicians to visit Israel, which was in shock. At the time, the SPD politician emphasized the dictum that Israel’s security was part of Germany’s raison d’etre.
More than five months later, that is still true, but the tone has clearly changed. “Everything that is done must be based on the rules of international law,” Scholz said during his trip to Jordan and Israel in mid-March. In a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he called for relief from the humanitarian catastrophe and warned urgently against a ground offensive in Rafah, where most people in the Gaza Strip have fled.
This week, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock even spoke of the “hell of Gaza”. The Greens are more drastic than Scholz, but the Chancellor and Foreign Minister agree on the matter. Both are trying to increase the pressure on the government in Jerusalem and emphasize that Germany, together with the USA, is among the last important defenders of Israel.
Israel says UNRWA has been systematically infiltrated by Hamas
Like the American pendulum, the German pendulum is now swinging much more strongly towards criticism. At the recent EU summit in Brussels, Scholz agreed to the call for an “immediate humanitarian pause”. The European Council expressed “deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip” and the “disproportionate impact on the civilian population, in particular children.” There is an “immediate danger of famine as a result of not enough aid supplies reaching the Gaza Strip.”
The summit declaration also describes UNRWA’s services as “essential”. The EU welcomes “the fact that the United Nations has quickly launched an internal investigation and an external review following the serious allegations against twelve UNRWA employees for their alleged involvement in the terrorist attacks on October 7th.” The number twelve is no longer current, it was said during the Israeli embassy briefing. The number is now estimated at 15.
But the problem goes much deeper. UNRWA was systematically infiltrated by Hamas. 2,135 UN aid workers belonged to a terrorist organization. The Hamas share among employees is more than 17 percent. This is not simply about expressions of sympathy, emphasized Prosor. The Hamas people went through an elaborate recruitment process.
Israel’s ambassador says they take criticism seriously – and reject it
According to Israeli information, Hamas’ infiltration is particularly massive in the school system. 18 of 200 UNRWA schools were led by principals who belonged to Hamas. The Israeli dossier lists the names of high-ranking Hamas figures in the school system and documents the misuse of UNRWA facilities for terrorist infrastructure. Israeli references to this were ignored by the United Nations before the terrorist attack on October 7th. In the Gaza Strip, UNRWA is “beyond repair.” Further collaboration is out of the question. Contrary to what is claimed, there are alternatives for humanitarian aid, such as the World Food Program.
The federal government has suspended payments to the UNRWA in Gaza, although none are currently due, but made it clear to the Israeli side that it currently considers this organization to be hardly replaceable in the Gaza Strip. Baerbock and Scholz called for a significant increase in truckloads in Israel from currently around 200 daily to 500.
Criticism from friends is taken seriously, said Prosor, but at the same time rejected it. They are working “day and night” to improve the humanitarian situation, but this is reaching logistical limits. “Of course we are concerned,” said Prosor about the aggravated tone in Washington and Berlin. However, Israel has no choice but to continue the fight against Hamas. It’s like a forest fire: “It’s not enough to put out 80 percent.”