Netanyahu changed Israel’s position on UNRWA without consultation — report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unilaterally and secretly changed the government’s position on the US funding of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees with hardly any consultation from the security cabinet or defense officials, Channel 10 reports.

Senior Israeli officials tell the TV station that up until a few weeks ago, Israeli government policy was opposed to an intimidate and complete cut in US funding for UNRWA, especially in the Gaza Strip, out of fears that a further deterioration in humanitarian conditions would spark violence. The report says Israel’s official position on UNRWA was supported by the IDF, the Shin Bet security service and COGAT, the defense body that oversees Palestinian civilian affairs.

But several weeks ago, Netanyahu changed UNRWA policy, and expressed support for US support to UNRWA in a message to the Senate Appropriations Committee through Ambassador Ron Dermer.

Senior Israeli officials told Channel 10 that Netanyahu did not consult the security cabinet before changing the policy, and only held cursory discussions with defense officials.

The officials said the change in the Israeli position regarding UNRWA came as a surprise to many. “None of us understood where this came from,” one defense official said.