Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said she did not have all the evidence about serious allegations regarding a key United Nations agency delivering aid to Gaza before she decided to halt funding.
Australia, the US and the UK were among more than 10 donors to suspend funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after the Israeli government alleged that as many as 12 staff members were involved in the 7 October attacks.
Wong told the ABC on Thursday night that she had spoken with commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini the previous day and was working to bring an end to the suspension, including by seeking more information regarding the allegations from the agency and from the Israeli government.
In response to a question about whether she was in “full possession of the facts” regarding the allegations, she responded “well no, we’re not”.
She said the “primary concern” was making sure that “other donors, particularly those who have not provided their next round of operational funding, core funding” gained more “confidence” about the extent of the evidence regarding the allegations by the end of the month.
“We saw these allegations. I, along with other countries, made a decision – and it is a decision I made – to pause that because the allegations were serious and because UNRWA itself recognised that those allegations were serious,” Wong said.
“Because UNRWA itself acknowledged that those allegations were serious, and I think it is incumbent upon me as Australia’s foreign minister to ensure that every dollar of aid that we provide is being used for the appropriate purposes.”
The Israeli intelligence dossier unpinning the allegations has been described as “flimsy” in recent reporting, increasing scrutiny on the decision to pause aid.
Aid agencies and Palestinian diplomats have appealed for the funding to be reinstated, citing the extreme humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza as Israel continues its military operation in the besieged territory.
Wong defended the decision, despite not having all the information at the time it was made.
“There are two, I think, irrefutable truths about UNRWA. The first is it is necessary to provide support and assistance to Palestinians in Gaza,” she said.
“Truth number two is that the allegations are serious and they can’t simply be ignored.”
Wong also emphasised that the freeze related to $6m in recently announced funding to UNRWA, rather that its regular contributions.
Guardian Australia reported on Wednesday that Labor backbenchers have privately played down the impact of Australia’s pause in funding, with one MP denouncing “misinformation underpinning some online media and email campaigns”.
