In reverse of a longtime stance, US says UN Palestinian refugee agency isn't immune from lawsuits

WASHINGTON – The Trump medication has decided that the U.N. bureau for Palestinian refugees is not immune from being sued, reversing the U.S. government's longstanding presumption that the enactment was protected from civilian liability.

The Justice Department revealed its caller stance successful a missive it filed successful national tribunal successful New York connected Thursday arsenic portion of a suit that aims to clasp the agency, known arsenic UNRWA, accountable for the Oct. 7, 2023, deadly onslaught connected Israel by Hamas. The alteration successful presumption underscores the hardened position toward the bureau nether the Trump medication pursuing allegations by Israel that immoderate of the bureau unit was progressive successful the Hamas rampage.

The lawsuit, filed by families of immoderate of the victims of the massacre, alleges that UNRWA had aided Hamas by, among different things, permitting weapons retention and deployment centers successful its schools and aesculapian clinics and by employing Hamas members. Lawyers for UNRWA person called the suit “absurd” and person said successful tribunal filings that the bureau was immune from liability arsenic a “subsidiary organ” of the United Nations.

The erstwhile US stance protected the agency

In a connection Friday, UNRWA spokesperson Juliet Touma said the Justice Department filing reversed the U.S. government's “longstanding designation that UNRWA is simply a subsidiary assemblage of the General Assembly and an integral portion of the United Nations, entitled to immunity from ineligible process.” She said the bureau would proceed to marque its lawsuit earlier the tribunal and "will see whether immoderate different enactment is due with respect to the letter.”

The Justice Department acknowledged successful its 10-page missive that though its presumption had been that UNRWA was shielded from litigation, “the Government has since reevaluated that position, and present concludes UNRWA is not immune from this litigation.”

“The ailment successful this lawsuit alleges atrocious behaviour connected the portion of UNRWA and its officers. Of course, specified allegations are lone the archetypal measurement connected a agelong road, wherever plaintiffs volition beryllium required to beryllium what they person alleged. But UNRWA is not supra that process — nor are the bulk of the remaining defendants,” the missive states. “The Government believes they indispensable reply these allegations successful American courts. The anterior Administration’s presumption that they bash not was wrong.”

The missive was signed by Jay Clayton, the caller U.S. lawyer successful Manhattan, and different lawyer successful the office, arsenic good arsenic Yaakov Roth, the acting adjunct lawyer wide successful complaint of the Justice Department's civilian division.

The bureau has assisted Palestinians since the 1940s

UNRWA was established by the U.N. General Assembly successful 1949 to supply alleviation for Palestinians who fled oregon were expelled from their homes earlier and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, which followed the constitution of Israel, arsenic good arsenic their descendants, until determination is simply a governmental solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The bureau provides assistance and services — including wellness and acquisition — to immoderate 2.5 cardinal Palestinian refugees successful Gaza and the occupied West Bank and eastbound Jerusalem, arsenic good arsenic 3 cardinal much successful Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Since the Israel-Hamas war, it has been the main lifeline for a colonisation reliant connected humanitarian assistance successful Gaza.

Israel alleged that 19 retired of UNRWA’s astir 13,000 staff successful Gaza took portion successful Hamas’ onslaught successful confederate Israel, which killed astir 1,200 radical and acceptable disconnected the warfare successful Gaza.

UNRWA said it fired 9 staffers aft an interior U.N. probe concluded that they could person been involved, though the grounds was not authenticated oregon corroborated. Israel aboriginal alleged that astir 100 different Palestinians successful Gaza were Hamas members, but ne'er provided immoderate grounds to the United Nations.

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Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

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