For years, the United Kingdom Diversion and Works Company sent millions of greenbacks for each life in Gaza to pay staff and support hospitals, colleges and alternative infrastructure, according to an unsealed lawsuit. The money was shipped from pristine York, where the company has its offices, to the West Vault, where financial institutions loaded some of the money onto cars to transport it from Israel to Gaza.
The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in New York says some of them had invested in the military operations of Hamas, the Islamist group that has controlled Gaza for nearly two decades and has pledged to eradicate the Jewish state. . At the center of the case is the passage of funds against Seven Streams and former Dominion UNRWA officials, who are accused of embezzlement that Hamas embezzled more than $1 billion from the company to pay for tunneling equipment and guns, among other issues. He manipulated it, which helped him. Attack on Israel on 7 October.
Nearly 100 Israeli plaintiffs – including at least one who was taken hostage by Hamas in Gaza, others who survived the attack, as well as the estates of some of those killed – are seeking unspecified financial damages. They claim that UNRWA is responsible because it helped Hamas, which the US and other international organizations consider a May 15 organization.
UNRWA has been sued several times since the attacks, in some cases claiming that the company instigated Hamas and others in an effort to siphon off UNRWA’s investments. The case, filed on Monday, is moving forward, detailing how the plaintiffs believe the company’s money ended up in the hands of Hamas and how its assets were destroyed by terrorists in attacks on Israel.
The swimsuit said that in Gaza, unlike alternative parks run by the company, UNRWA could pay its 13,000 core employees in US dollars that would be equivalent to shekels, the Israeli currency that is obsolete in Gaza, due to Hamas-affiliated money. Through-changers who snatch a piece for the group.
Civil suits face several obstacles, particularly the question of whether a treaty grants immunity to UN officials. But when the case moves forward, it will allow other victims of Hamas attacks to seek damages from the UN and, even if it fails, the lawsuit will force countries that donate money to UNRWA to reconsider their aid. Can force.
The criticism states, “Hamas did not commit these atrocities without assistance.” It was once “aided and abetted” by senior company executives who had funded Hamas’s “terrorist infrastructure” for more than a decade and knew that they were “providing Hamas with US dollar cash , which required him to pay smugglers for weapons, explosives, and other terrorist materials.
Company spokeswoman Juliette Touma said on Monday that she was aware of the swimsuit issue, but that “there has been no legal process.” She added: “The United Nations, including UNRWA, is exempt from legal process, as is the United Nations Officials, including those serving in UNRWA.”
A senior Hamas official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hamas no longer has access to the global banking infrastructure that allows easy transfers of cash across borders. For several years, Israel has allowed external finance to flow into Gaza, including funds from UNRWA to pay for general needs. The Israeli government facilitated a years-long effort by the Qataris to send money for humanitarian work. However, there were popular questions about whether Qatari cash had been channeled through Hamas to pay for military operations.
UNRWA was created in 1949 and is funded primarily through donations from UN member states. The US has long been the largest contributor, according to congressional records, giving $371 million in 2023, about 30 percent of the company’s contribution.
The defendants named in the suit are UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini; former company head Pierre Krahenbuhl, now on the Global Purple Pass; Lenny Stenseth, Sandra Mitchell and Margot Ellis, who are former Deputy Commissioners-General; Greta Gunnarsdottir, director of the company’s workplace in Pristine York; and Filippo Grandi, the top UN commissioner for refugees.
A spokesman for Ms. Stenseth declined to comment on the swimsuit, and a spokesman for Mr. Grandi referred all inquiries to the U.N. secretary’s workplace. Efforts to reach alternative defendants were not immediately successful.
In an opinion essay written for The Pristine York Instances and Life, Mr. Lazzarini exposed the actions of people from the company’s work and alleged that UNRWA or alternative United Nations organizations have been seeking in terrorism “our means for peace. and protect against inhumanity around the world.”
Under a treaty between the United States and the United Nations, the four highest-level UN officials have full diplomatic immunity, with lower-level officials having “functional immunity”, according to former UN Deputy Criminal Counsel Larry Johnson. meaning that they cannot be prosecuted for movements made as part of their job.
“We do not believe that UNRWA has immunity from aiding and abetting attacks on Israel,” Gavi Maron, a human rights lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said in a comment.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers argue that UNRWA officials could also be sued in a US court because the company has a Pristine York office, raised finances in Pristine York and has long-standing banks based in Pristine York. Lawyers also said the alien tort statute allows non-US citizens to sue in US federal court for accidents caused by violations of global rules.
The swimsuit will depend on a long and winding path of money that stretches from New York to Hart East.
According to the complaint, the company would each time ask JPMorgan Chase to bring millions of dollars to the pristine York area of Arab Vault, which is headquartered in Jordan and is one of the largest financial institutions in the region. The nearest Arab vault delivered cash to its territory in Ramallah, within the western vault.
There, cash destined for UNRWA operations in Gaza was transferred to Palestine’s vault in Ramallah and withdrawn in the form of US dollars, loaded onto vehicles and transported across Israel to Gaza.
JPMorgan Chase declined to comment. Arab Vault and Palestine Vault did not respond to requests to discuss the matter.
The suit argues that if UNRWA paid its Gaza employees in shekels, the money could be sent electronically, reducing the need to pay fees to Hamas-affiliated cash changers. In line with the criticism, “UNRWA’s current cash management practices only benefit Hamas.”
The criticism stated that the mob “spent cash through smugglers to buy their weapons, ammunition, explosives, construction materials for tunnels and rocket-making supplies.”
The plaintiffs’ lawyers said that the assets they had to determine the main points of the cash path included the UN audit of UNRWA’s funds and the UN investigation of the company, as well as press reports regarding the movement of the cash. Was accompanied by comments from UNRWA. From pristine York to Gaza and the allocation of finances there.
The criticism does not highlight what evidence the plaintiffs will provide to prove that UNRWA money in Gaza was diverted to finance the 7 October attack. Nor does the criticism provide clear details to support the claim that Hamas controls currency exchange.
However, a report by the lead aid consultancy for UNRWA in 2018 said that exchanges are seen as “leaky”, including “abuse, fraud, corruption, double counting and diversion of cash grants or vouchers from legitimate ones”. Any irregularity considered as a deviation”. Uses.”
Monday’s suit claims that whether officials were specifically aware of the October 7 attacks is immaterial, because they knew that “Hamas openly targeted and killed innocent civilians.” had declared their goal to commit murder” and knew that no assistance would be of assistance.
UNRWA has long been accused of having ties to Hamas. In January, Israel accused several company employees of playing roles in the attacks that occurred on or after October 7. The United Nations said it had fired several staff after becoming aware of the allegations. The allegations led eight countries, including the United States, to suspend some of UNRWA’s backup.
In April, a sovereign assessment conducted by the United Nations said Israel had not provided evidence that thousands of UNRWA staff are members of terrorist organizations. This prompted many countries to start donating again.
Adam Rasgon And patrick kingsley Contributed to the reporting.
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