Israel-Hamas struggle: US pauses UNRWA funding, staffers accused in Oct. 7 attack | LiveNOW from FOX

We want to bring into the conversation right now uh some of our friends here uh that we've brought on so many different times to discuss all of this and then includes former Ambassador Kurt vulker and National Security analyst Hal keer uh gentlemen thanks for being with us here uh you heard there in Peter's report some of those sound bites from.

Officials like Ned price uh and even Secretary of State Anthony blinkin just mere months ago kind of praising the work from the UN relief and works agency there in Gaza and now this news coming today from the state department temporarily pausing all federal funding that already has not been allocated to the agency.

Over these allegations and I want to go over the allegations before I get into the questioning uh one that at least one Israeli hostage taken by Hamas on October 7th was Kept For A Time in the home of an UNR worker in Gaza and two that teachers at unru schools in Gaza told students about the October 7th attacks and celebrated them in.

Classrooms afterwards these are schools that receive US taxpayer funding each and every year here um I'll start with you Kurt you know what is the response going to be you heard there from John Kirby saying us officials don't believe the entire organization supports terrorism but this doesn't sound good does.

It it sounds horrible you know let's be clear it sounds horrible and the fact that even John Kirby in the podium is saying we are now no longer providing us funding for onra indicates that they understand the scale of the problem and scope of the problem this is not something that us taxpayers could ever support and I think what's lacking in.

This if you know watching the Clips that you just showed um there's a lack of clarity coming from the administration on what we do think uh is there very much negativity very much defensiveness well this is not true that's not true we're cautious about that we're careful about that what is the actual position of the administration what do we want.

And then how are we going about trying to achieve that you know Hal to to Kurt's Point um us officials you know as recent as November appraised un and the work they're doing in Gaza so is there a disconnect there uh kind of to Kurt's Point um Anthony blinkin visited unra headquarters in Jordan in November and.

Praised the work despite these allegations and Hal I got to add um these allegations did not just surface today they've been out there for quite a while Andrew they have been out there for quite a while and uh this reinforces some of the stuff that's been coming from Israel on this where they've been talking about it you know you have to.

Look at this in in a broad context that uh this really gets into to use a Watergate term uh what did they know and when did they know it uh this gets into the whole information flow of what the United Nations has been dealing with across the board in terms of understanding what's happening on the ground um it's going to turn out that.

Maybe a dozen you know they've been fired I don't know how well they're going to be interviewed I don't know uh what the extent of the investigation will be right now the agency responsible is investigating itself which leaves me a little bit skeptical but the other side is going to be okay so they were directly involved how many others knew.

And averted the rise or passively went along with this I think this will be a much broader hit it does reinforce what Israel's been saying but I think some of these incidents were you know the Israeli stri you know like Israeli tanks have fired at a un facility and conun or some of these white flag incidents they're going to have to be looked at.

Again because now we're realizing some of the reporting may have been been deeply skewed yeah you know I want to play just a quick sound bite from a spokesperson there at the UN about these allegations and get you both to respond let's listen to this the Secretary General is horrified.

By this news and ask Mr larini to investigate this matter swiftly and to ensure that any un employee shown to have participated or bedded in what transpired on October 7th or in any other criminal activity be terminated immed mediately and referred for potential criminal prosecution to protect the agency's.

Ability to deliver humanitarian assistance commissioner General larini has taken the decision uh to immediately terminate the contracts of all these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds.

Of thousands of people in Gaza who uh rely on on humanitarian work who rely on humanitarian assistance even more now than they did uh before it is the work that Ana uh does uh remains critical uh today and we very much hope that while Ana can that number of things have to happen at the same time Ana is uh has to ask o.

IOS to do this investigation the commissioner General I think has taken very Swift and strong measures uh right away uh at the same time our humanitarian work needs to continue lives depend on it all right so that was the spokesman there Stefan duar at the United Nations today saying the investigation continues.

We also know the UN fired 12 of its staff believed to be involved in all of this State Department officials have also briefed certain members of Congress on what they know about the allegations uh that unra workers were involved in October 7th though they do not have a list of names here here I mean does the responsibility or accountability need to.

Start at the top Kurt I mean does Antonio gutterz you know need to come out more forcefully about this do people below him need to resign um this is really damning well it is damning and even in what you just heard from the spokesman there there is an acknowledgment that unreal workers were actually involved in.

Things that are completely inappropriate for any un workers and anyone that is even partially paid by us taxpayers so his recognition of that is good what's not clear is what they are going to do about it uh for the UN Secretary General I think he needs to speak about it I think it's not his job on the line this is all levels well below him but he.

Needs to make clear that this is entirely unacceptable and he actually needs to take un uh you know unra out of the role of providing humanitarian support in Gaza and in Israel and put somebody else in charge like the un uh human rights agency or or Refugee Affairs anybody else who would have more credibility because right now the.

Perception is that they are completely penetrated by Hamas and therefore very partial in this conflict against Israel so the UN needs to take this agency out and put somebody else in maybe the world food program that would be in a better position to actually provide impartial support to the civilian population without taking sides in the conflict you.

Know Hal to that point I mean can you still say at this point like John Kirby did on January 4th at the White House briefing unra is doing important work secretary blinkin just said yesterday he was in Angola the work the UN is performing in Gaza is quite literally life-saving and no one else can do it no one else is doing it can you say that.

Still with what we now know about these allegations or is there a disconnect well Andrew obviously as as we picked up on disconnect there's a strategic Communications disconnect right now I think they're going to roll back a lot of their language praising unra until they have a better sense of what's going on but it's going to be.

Seen as to how permeated the Hamas influence the Hamas connection is is in unra you know it certainly I mean the Gaz of strip you know thing is they have a lot of what we call local hires if you will these are uh local Palestinians are there fact the vast majority are local hires because they live there uh this is where they operate and uh with that with.

When you look at how Hamas was situated being the the dour de facto government in in Gaza it's it's not surprising that this would pop up but now they're going to have to look at the entire chain of command you know not just the 12 that were fired but everybody over them all the oversight all the supervision and as I mentioned earlier all the information.

That they've been operating with you know secretary Gutierrez has been uh he's used some rather strong language and condemning Israel throughout this entire action and now uh with this the question is what information was he operating off of what was he getting from the Gaza Strip and was that skewed was that scripted.

By Hamas at certain points just a last point on this uh Kurt last question to you so the funding's been cut off temporarily does it need to be cut off permanently uh we don't know um I think temporarily cutting it off is the right decision because we need to understand what's actually happening okay just how.

Was just saying there you know there are a lot of questions now that arise as to who was doing what and who acted on what basis so we need to figure that that out okay but I do think that the US needs to have a much higher standard for support for the United Nations in its activities like this if in fact we have reason to believe that they are acting in a very.

Skewed and impartial way in a conflict like this all right uh while we have you both I do want to move on this is also United Nations related as well their top Court their body uh the international court of justice there at the ha uh hearing this case today uh and it was brought by South Africa South Africa claiming Israel in its offensive against.

Hamas in Gaza is committing genocide against Palestinians we have this live now look there uh I know it's very dark in southern Israel looking into Gaza I just want to go into some of the findings today this decision by the icj they declined to order Israel to cease military operations in Gaza while it continues to Way South Africa's claim.

The country is committing genocide against Palestinian so so Curt Hal they declined to order Israel to stop but they didn't dismiss the case outright is this a partial victory for both how you first no this is this is atrocious so the Palestinian uh terrorist group Hamas is trying to eliminate Israel they don't.

They don't accept Israel's right to exist as a country they don't accept the Israeli people's right to exist where they live that is genocide and to accuse Israel of genocide in defending itself against the kinds of attacks that they face with Hamas is is just appalling and if you want to understand genocide just look at what Russia is doing against.

Ukraine they are they are torturing people they are occupying territory they are using rape as a to as a a tool of War they are castrating prisoners of War it is absolutely appalling what the Russians are doing that's what Hamas is doing against Israel and so to to think of this as somehow that either Ukraine or.

Israel is a perpetrator in this that they are guilty of genocide is absolutely absurd they are the victims of those attacks against them you know how to that point uh I was rinding to the viewers because tomorrow is international Holocaust Remembrance Day Israel of course was created in the wake of the devastating atrocities of the.

Holocaust the very day before that today they are facing genocide allegations against themselves brought by South Africa for what they are doing as they you know effectuate their war against tamas in Gaza I mean what do you think 75 years ago the founders of Israel would have thought about that claim well they would probably think it.

Was ironic but then again I got to tell you it's a generally if you go back into history it's a a lot of pragmatic leaders and some of them would say not surprised you know that that some country would do that I mean they've had to they've had to fight off well little enemies trying to wipe out Israel but also political enemies trying to.

Politically neutralize uh Israel for a very long period of time so they probably wouldn't be surprised I don't think they're surprised now but the interesting thing about the ruling is you know it had six parts to it about half of them three of them would simply abide by the international treaty on genocide well they are they already say.

They're abiding by that in fact most everything there they say they're everything there they say they're abiding by in fact the treaty on International treaty on genocide wouldn't exist without Israel that's why it was developed 75 years ago and then other things like preserving evidence you know trying to get Aid into uh pal.

Pal the Palestinian area in Gaza all of these are things that they're doing uh so I think there's an interesting uh uh point to this you know they're facing it but it could be a couple three years maybe I don't know I I I defer to Kurt on this with the speed with which the icj moves but it's somewhat glacial at times I think the.

Big part of the thing is it didn't ask for an an immediate ceasefire which gives pardon the expression maneuver room if you will for Israel on the military side to do some things that they need to do I also one thing and I'm it's a little bit far filled but the fact that the icj had such a thoughtful decision that it.

Didn't immediately put Israel in an incredibly difficult or impossible situation is something that helps around the world I mean there's a big icj ruling in the South China Sea that the Philippines is trying to enforce I can tell you that there's some folks in the Pacific that kind of breathe the sigh of relief when they saw that I know it.

Doesn't sound connected but the icj plays an important role and when they can provide that sort of thoughtful thorough sounding board if you will uh for the International Community I think that really helps in a lot of different ways all right this is how BB Netanyahu responded to the news today let's listen Israel's commitment to.

International law is unwavering equally unwavering is our sacred commitment to continue to defend our country and defend our people like every country Israel has an inherent right to defend itself the violet attempt to deny Israel this fundamental right is blatant discrimination against the Jewish State and it was justly.

Rejected the charge of genocide leveled against Israel is not only false it's outrageous and decent people everywhere should reject it on the eve of the international Holocaust Remembrance Day I again pledge as Israel's prime minister never again Israel will continue to defend itself against Hamas a genocidal Terror organization on.

October 7th Hamas perpetrated the most horrific atrocities against the Jewish people since the Holocaust and it vows to repeat these atrocities again and again and again our war is against Hamas terrorists not against Palestinian civilians we will continue to facilitate humanitarian assistance and to do our utmost to keep civilians out of Harm's.

Way even as Hamas uses civilians as human Shields we will continue to do what is necessary to defend our country and defend defend our people uh Kurt just lastly to you there um you know say this went the opposite against Israel today um it's very hard to enforce these rulings from these you know International multinational bodies.

Like the icj un's top Court there as well obviously there's been well documented cases and a history of you know the un's antagonism toward toward Israel as well here so what happens next do you think in this case um I think what prime minister Netanyahu just said there was actually quite strong um Israel has to take.

Responsibility for its own security this is a state it has to be protected the state has primary responsibility for that it has allies it has friends around the world but they have to do that and that is the primary thing and attacks against that are going to be seen as terrorist attacks uh by anybody but Hamas is the one that is conducting them.

As for the UN I I would like to see the UN get into a position where it would actually be vocal in support of Israel's right to exist its sovereignty its territorial integrity and then talk about the basis for what a peace would be because what we hear right now is equivalence on both sides equivalence of Hamas terrorists and the Israeli State.

Fighting each other it is not equivalence it is Terrorism versus State trying to protect its own people these are not the same thing and I think we need to have that recognized as a basis for how we deal with this issue in the future all right gentlemen I'll leave you to that Ambassador Kurt vulker and Hal keer thanks so much for being with.

Us here on this Friday night have a good weekend talk soon thank you

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