The UN Is An Equal Opportunity Employer, Hiring Both Hamas and Hezbollah Terrorists (Daled Amos)

by Daled Amos

An employer who agrees not to discriminate against any employee or job applicant because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, physical or mental disability, or age
Definition of 'Equality Opportunity Employer', Merriam Webster

Nor on the basis of "politics."

In 2004, then-Commissioner-General of UNRWA Peter Hansen was interviewed on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and said that UNRWA hiring Hamas terrorists is not a big deal:

Hansen said he believes there are Hamas members on UNRWA's payroll, but they have to follow UN rules on remaining neutral.

"Oh I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll and I don't see that as a crime. Hamas as a political organization does not mean that every member is a militant and we do not do political vetting and exclude people from one persuasion as against another," Hanson told CBC TV.

"We demand of our staff, whatever their political persuasion is, that they behave in accordance with UN standards and norms for neutrality," he said.

UNRWA logo

Well, isn't that reassuring?

In 2006, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was giving $25 million to UNRWA, The Toronto Sun made clear

UNRWA has, according to various experts, been infiltrated by Hamas members and sympathizers. Hamas is an Islamist terrorist group, as designated by the Government of Canada.

And better yet, Hamas does not restrict membership to leadership positions on the basis of being a member of UNRWA either.

Just last year, AP reported U.N. agency suspends Gaza staffer amid alleged ties to Hamas

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees suspended a Palestinian staffer Sunday, a spokesman for the U.N. agency said as Israel alleged the employee was elected to a leadership position with the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Chris Gunness of UNRWA said Suhail al-Hindi, the chairman of the UNRWA Palestinian workers’ union in Gaza and the principal of a UNRWA elementary school, was suspended due to “substantial information” received by the agency.

...The agency temporarily suspended al-Hindi in 2011 for participating in events with Hamas officials.

The AP helpfully adds that "The U.N. agency forbids its staff from holding political office." [emphasis added]

Considering the connection between the UN and Hamas, is it any wonder the lengths the UN will go in order to protect the terrorist organization from any kind of criticism in the UN, most recently in the sudden requirement for a two-thirds instead of majority vote to condemn Hamas for terrorist attacks on civilians?

And what about UNIFIL, which operates in Hezbollah's back yard?

UNIFIL logo

As it turns out, UNIFIL is no slouch either when it comes to the integration of the local populace either.

Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, writes how despite its mandate to keep Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon -- UNIFIL has all kinds of time on its hands:

Both the LAF and UNIFIL share the same objective of not disturbing the status quo, which is to say, not to cross Hezbollah’s red lines. In turn, this raises a question about the point of underwriting this arrangement altogether, while pretending UNIFIL is doing something that it clearly cannot and will not do. Instead, UNIFIL has become more akin to yet another UN aid agency. It clears minefields, and works “together with the Lebanese authorities, in creating the conditions conducive for the population to build their future.” It also “works closely with many municipalities and local authorities to strongly support their communities.” It even hires Hezbollah members and supporters! [emphasis added]

Here is Badran's source, Google-translated from the French:

The Lebanese Shiite organization has always suspected Blue Helmets spying for Israel. On the other hand, it does not hesitate to infiltrate Finul [UNIFIL], whose civilian staff numbers 585 Lebanese. "Some employees do not hide from belonging to Hezbollah," admits a Finnish commander. Another anomaly: some UN battalions are from countries that do not recognize Israel. "I can assure you that Indonesian peacekeepers are constantly reporting Israeli movements to various Lebanese actors," said the senior officer. [emphasis added]

All of which raises the question: in the fight against terrorism, which side is the UN on?

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