"I took exception to the section of the article that discussed Hamas and the UNRWA. Claims and statements were made in that section without citing any of the evidence that has disproved many of them."
April 16, 2025
Dear Mr. Robertson and Mr.Vincent,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) regarding the article, What do Canada’s political leaders want to do with foreign aid? that was published in the Star on April 13, 2025.
I took exception to the section of the article that discussed Hamas and the UNRWA. Claims and statements were made in that section without citing any of the evidence that has disproved many of them.
A statement was made that ‘Canada and other nations consider Hamas a terrorist organization’. In reality, seven countries, as well as the European Union, have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. The UN has never listed Hamas as a terrorist organization; in fact, in 2018 and 2023, a motion at the United Nations to condemn Hamas was rejected. The reality is that the vast majority of the world’s countries do not consider Hamas a terrorist organization, but your readers may very well believe the opposite because of how the statement is made in your piece.
However, what was most lacking in the article was that there was no acknowledgement that the UN had completed a thorough review of Israel’s and the media’s allegations that UNRWA had ties with Hamas and that UNRWA aid was being diverted to Hamas. Their investigation revealed very few ties to Hamas and no evidence that aid or funds were being diverted to Hamas by UNRWA. UNRWA took immediate action with 9 staff when the internal probe suggested possible involvement in October 7. This is essential context and should be mentioned in the article.
For the past 18 months, we have viewed in real time the unfolding genocide in Gaza. Your article leaves the impression that we have been funding Hamas indirectly through UNRWA. Nothing could be further from the truth. To allow statements such as “…have funded terrorist organizations like UNRWA” go unchecked is a misrepresentation and unfair characterization of UNRWA.
I would ask that you add a statement to your article such as “The UN and other countries have reviewed the allegations made against UNRWA and have found them to be unsubstantiated. As a result Canada restored their funding to UNRWA.
I hope that future articles will provide a more balanced picture of UNRWA with facts and not unsubstantiated claims providing some context to the reality on the ground.
Sincerely,
Debbie Hubbard
CJPME: Okanagan