Validity of evidence from Israel that Hamas had infiltrated UNWRA that lead to the decision for the UK to pause funding for UNWRA
Dear Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office,
Shortly after the International Court of Justice genocide ruling on 26th Jauary 2024 Israel circulated a 6 page dossier amongst selected news outlets alleging that a number of UNHWA employees were involved in the Hamas-led raid on October 7th 2023 and that 190 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were employed by UNWRA.
On the 27th Jauary 2024 the UK and several other countries paused funding to UNWRA, although the Canadian government have stated that it did not see the dossier, and the USA secretary of state has acknowledged the US does not have the ability to investigate the allegations themselves.
On February 5th 2024 however, Channel 4 News announced that the 6 page dossier does not contain any evidence to support Israel's claim, but is a summary of a larger witheld document outlining actual evidence.
Given the enormity of the UK decision to pause aid for the work of UNWRA in Gaza at a time of humanitarian crisis
1. Was the 6 page dossier seen by the FCDO before the decision to pause aid on 27th January 2024?
2. Was the larger document refered to in the dossier seen by the FCDO before the decision to pause aid on 27th January 2024?
3. If the 6 page dossier did not contain evidence of involvement of UNWRA employees in the October 7th Hamas raid, and the larger document was not available to the FCDO, what criteria were used to advise the Foreign Secretary to pause funding for UNWRA?
Yours faithfully,
PJBallinger
Thank you for contacting the FCDO Information Rights Unit (IRU).
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ADVICE
Once we have officially accepted your request, we are unable to provide
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Please do not send multiple emails about the same enquiry, as this is
likely to cause a delay in our response time.
Should you need assistance in making or refining your request you may wish
to consult the gov.uk guide on [1]How to make a Freedom of Information
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The Information rights Unit are not able to respond to queries on the
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Afghanistan related enquiries
The UK evacuation operation has now ceased. The security situation in
Afghanistan remains extremely volatile. There is an ongoing and high
threat of terrorist attack. The potential for terrorist attacks,
particularly around Kabul airport, remains very high. British nationals
remaining in Afghanistan need to consider carefully the risks should they
attempt to leave by any route. We advise against all travel to
Afghanistan. We continue to closely monitor events in Afghanistan. Please
check our travel advice for our latest advice for British nationals, and
subscribe for updates.
The British Embassy in Kabul has suspended in-country operations. All UK
diplomatic and consular staff have been temporarily withdrawn. The ability
to provide consular support to British nationals is extremely limited and
is being provided virtually. If you are a British national in Afghanistan
and need to speak to a consular officer call the FCDO on +441908 516666
(or 01908 516666 in the UK). The FCDO cannot offer advice on the safety of
travelling to any alternative departure point.
British nationals who remain in Afghanistan are strongly encouraged to
[2]register their presence in order to receive important updates. This
will enable us to validate the numbers of British nationals seeking
assistance, and to provide essential information to British nationals that
remain in Afghanistan, when it becomes available.
If you are an Afghan national and are eligible or have been approved for
assistance under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP),there
is more information here:
[3]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
If you are a non-British national in Afghanistan, or are the family member
of a non-British national in Afghanistan, and in need of assistance,
please see
[4]https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-...
or call +44 2475 389 980 (or 02475 389 980 in the UK).
Current and former locally employed UK government staff, ie those who were
employed directly by the UK government, not through a third party, should
apply to ARAP following this link:
[5]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio....
Further information on the ARAP scheme can be found here:
[6]https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021...
If you have already applied for ARAP, and would like an update on your
application, please re-send your query here: [7][email address]
Non-Afghanistan related Consular Assistance for British Nationals
If you are a British national seeking urgent consular assistance, please
call the Consular Assistance Team on 020 7008 5000 (or +44 20 7008
5000).
ATAS Certificates
Email [8][email address] if you have a query about your application. We
are unable to reply to any query on an application.
Legalisation
Contact the Legalisation Office if you need an update on an application or
if you have a general enquiry: [9][email address], Telephone: 03700 00 22
44
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, [10]Find out about call charges
Visas
Please see guidance on [11]Applying for a visa to come to the UK or
contact [12]UK Visas and immigration for help.
Travel Advice
If you require travel advice for your destination country, please visit
the [13]Travel Advice pages, which contain the latest information on
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FCDO advises against travel. You can also subscribe to travel advice
email alerts for your destination and monitor the FCDO coronavirus travel
advice page. You can follow FCDO Travel social media channels
on [14]Twitter, [15]Facebook and [16]Instagram. If you have a question
about the advice or a topic that is not covered, [17]please submit an
enquiry.
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References
Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-inf...
2. https://www.register-afghanistan.service...
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
4. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-...
5. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
6. https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021...
7. mailto:[email%20address]
8. mailto:[email%20address]
9. mailto:[email%20address]
10. https://www.gov.uk/call-charges
11. https://www.gov.uk/apply-to-come-to-the-uk
12. https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-o...
13. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
14. https://twitter.com/fcdotravelgovuk
15. https://www.facebook.com/fcdotravel
16. https://www.instagram.com/travelaware/
17. https://www.contact-embassy.service.gov....
18. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
Dear P J Ballinger
Thank you for your FOI request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
We received your request on 14th February. It has been assigned a unique
reference number FOI2024/03971. We aim to respond by 13th March.
Yours sincerely,
Information Rights Unit
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Dear Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's handling of my FOI request 'Validity of evidence from Israel that Hamas had infiltrated UNWRA that lead to the decision for the UK to pause funding for UNWRA'.
I am concerned that your response to my question is now well overdue and query why this is taking so long.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/v...
Yours faithfully,
PJBallinger
Thank you for contacting the FCDO Information Rights Unit (IRU).
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ADVICE
Once we have officially accepted your request, we are unable to provide
progress updates within the initial 20 working day deadline for response.
Please do not send multiple emails about the same enquiry, as this is
likely to cause a delay in our response time.
Should you need assistance in making or refining your request you may wish
to consult the gov.uk guide on [1]How to make a Freedom of Information
(FOI) request
The Information rights Unit are not able to respond to queries on the
issues mentioned below. Emails about these issues will be deleted without
response. Please note the relevant guidance and redirect your query
accordingly.
Afghanistan related enquiries
The UK evacuation operation has now ceased. The security situation in
Afghanistan remains extremely volatile. There is an ongoing and high
threat of terrorist attack. The potential for terrorist attacks,
particularly around Kabul airport, remains very high. British nationals
remaining in Afghanistan need to consider carefully the risks should they
attempt to leave by any route. We advise against all travel to
Afghanistan. We continue to closely monitor events in Afghanistan. Please
check our travel advice for our latest advice for British nationals, and
subscribe for updates.
The British Embassy in Kabul has suspended in-country operations. All UK
diplomatic and consular staff have been temporarily withdrawn. The ability
to provide consular support to British nationals is extremely limited and
is being provided virtually. If you are a British national in Afghanistan
and need to speak to a consular officer call the FCDO on +441908 516666
(or 01908 516666 in the UK). The FCDO cannot offer advice on the safety of
travelling to any alternative departure point.
British nationals who remain in Afghanistan are strongly encouraged to
[2]register their presence in order to receive important updates. This
will enable us to validate the numbers of British nationals seeking
assistance, and to provide essential information to British nationals that
remain in Afghanistan, when it becomes available.
If you are an Afghan national and are eligible or have been approved for
assistance under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP),there
is more information here:
[3]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
If you are a non-British national in Afghanistan, or are the family member
of a non-British national in Afghanistan, and in need of assistance,
please see
[4]https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-...
or call +44 2475 389 980 (or 02475 389 980 in the UK).
Current and former locally employed UK government staff, ie those who were
employed directly by the UK government, not through a third party, should
apply to ARAP following this link:
[5]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio....
Further information on the ARAP scheme can be found here:
[6]https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021...
If you have already applied for ARAP, and would like an update on your
application, please re-send your query here:
[7][email address]
Non-Afghanistan related Consular Assistance for British Nationals
If you are a British national seeking urgent consular assistance, please
call the Consular Assistance Team on 020 7008 5000 (or +44 20 7008
5000).
ATAS Certificates
Email [8][email address] if you have a query about your application. We
are unable to reply to any query on an application.
Legalisation
Contact the Legalisation Office if you need an update on an application or
if you have a general enquiry: [9][email address], Telephone:
03700 00 22 44
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, [10]Find out about call charges
Visas
Please see guidance on [11]Applying for a visa to come to the UK or
contact [12]UK Visas and immigration for help.
Travel Advice
If you require travel advice for your destination country, please visit
the [13]Travel Advice pages, which contain the latest information on
coronavirus, safety and security, entry requirements and areas where the
FCDO advises against travel. You can also subscribe to travel advice
email alerts for your destination and monitor the FCDO coronavirus travel
advice page. You can follow FCDO Travel social media channels
on [14]Twitter, [15]Facebook and [16]Instagram. If you have a question
about the advice or a topic that is not covered, [17]please submit an
enquiry.
Follow us online: www.gov.uk/fcdo
This email is intended for the addressee(s) only: All messages sent and
received by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office may be
monitored in line with relevant [18]UK legislation
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-inf...
2. https://www.register-afghanistan.service...
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
4. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-...
5. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
6. https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021...
7. mailto:[email address]
8. mailto:[email address]
9. mailto:[email address]
10. https://www.gov.uk/call-charges
11. https://www.gov.uk/apply-to-come-to-the-uk
12. https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-o...
13. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
14. https://twitter.com/fcdotravelgovuk
15. https://www.facebook.com/fcdotravel
16. https://www.instagram.com/travelaware/
17. https://www.contact-embassy.service.gov....
18. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
OFFICIAL
Our reference: FOI2024/03971
Dear PJ Ballinger,
Thank you for your email.
Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the delay in issuing you with a response to your Freedom of Information request. We are actively working on your response, and we are currently finalising it and arranging the necessary clearances. Therefore, we hope to have it with you very soon.
If at that point you would like to request an Internal Review of our decision or you wish to make a complaint you will be able to do so. However, as the response has not yet been issued, we are not able to conduct an Internal Review on it at this stage.
Please accept my apologies once again and I confirm we are prioritising your request and hope to be able to issue it to you very soon.
Yours sincerely,
Information Rights Unit - FCDO
OFFICIAL
Dear Henry Locke,
I understand but while you are delaying children in Gaza are starving, and I like many of the British public want to know whether suspending funding for UNWRA was on the back of any credible evidence supplied by the Israeli government.
Yours sincerely,
PJBallinger
Our ref: FOI2024/03971
Dear P J Ballinger,
I am writing with regards to your request for information, was received
14th February.
Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in your FOI response
being issued. We are working on your response for you, and we are
currently finalising your response and arranging the necessary clearances.
We hope to have it with you very soon. If at that point you would like to
request an internal review of our decision or you wish to make a complaint
you will be able to do so.
Please accept my apologies once again and I confirm we are prioritising
your request and hope to be able to issue it to you very soon.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.
Yours sincerely,
Information Rights Unit
Dear P J Ballinger,
I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request
FOI2024/03971, received 14th February. Please find our response attached.
Yours sincerely,
Information Rights Unit
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Dear Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's handling of my FOI request 'Validity of evidence from Israel that Hamas had infiltrated UNWRA that lead to the decision for the UK to pause funding for UNWRA'.
Since my request the UN have published the Colona Report which states that there is no evidence of Hammas infiltration into UNWRA. This raises the question of the evidence the UK has used to continue witholding funding from UNWRA and the decision making process within the UK government that nullifies the UN analysis. It is therefore of legitimate public interest to demonstrate to the UK taxpayers why funding is held back from UNRWA while arms sales continue even after the death of British aid workers in Gaza.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/v...
Yours faithfully,
PJBallinger
Thank you for contacting the FCDO Information Rights Unit (IRU).
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ADVICE
Once we have officially accepted your request, we are unable to provide
progress updates within the initial 20 working day deadline for response.
Please do not send multiple emails about the same enquiry, as this is
likely to cause a delay in our response time.
Should you need assistance in making or refining your request you may wish
to consult the gov.uk guide on [1]How to make a Freedom of Information
(FOI) request
The Information rights Unit are not able to respond to queries on the
issues mentioned below. Emails about these issues will be deleted without
response. Please note the relevant guidance and redirect your query
accordingly.
Afghanistan related enquiries
The UK evacuation operation has now ceased. The security situation in
Afghanistan remains extremely volatile. There is an ongoing and high
threat of terrorist attack. The potential for terrorist attacks,
particularly around Kabul airport, remains very high. British nationals
remaining in Afghanistan need to consider carefully the risks should they
attempt to leave by any route. We advise against all travel to
Afghanistan. We continue to closely monitor events in Afghanistan. Please
check our travel advice for our latest advice for British nationals, and
subscribe for updates.
The British Embassy in Kabul has suspended in-country operations. All UK
diplomatic and consular staff have been temporarily withdrawn. The ability
to provide consular support to British nationals is extremely limited and
is being provided virtually. If you are a British national in Afghanistan
and need to speak to a consular officer call the FCDO on +441908 516666
(or 01908 516666 in the UK). The FCDO cannot offer advice on the safety of
travelling to any alternative departure point.
British nationals who remain in Afghanistan are strongly encouraged to
[2]register their presence in order to receive important updates. This
will enable us to validate the numbers of British nationals seeking
assistance, and to provide essential information to British nationals that
remain in Afghanistan, when it becomes available.
If you are an Afghan national and are eligible or have been approved for
assistance under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP),there
is more information here:
[3]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
If you are a non-British national in Afghanistan, or are the family member
of a non-British national in Afghanistan, and in need of assistance,
please see
[4]https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-...
or call +44 2475 389 980 (or 02475 389 980 in the UK).
Current and former locally employed UK government staff, ie those who were
employed directly by the UK government, not through a third party, should
apply to ARAP following this link:
[5]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio....
Further information on the ARAP scheme can be found here:
[6]https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021...
If you have already applied for ARAP, and would like an update on your
application, please re-send your query here:
[7][email address]
Non-Afghanistan related Consular Assistance for British Nationals
If you are a British national seeking urgent consular assistance, please
call the Consular Assistance Team on 020 7008 5000 (or +44 20 7008
5000).
ATAS Certificates
Email [8][email address] if you have a query about your application. We
are unable to reply to any query on an application.
Legalisation
Contact the Legalisation Office if you need an update on an application or
if you have a general enquiry: [9][email address], Telephone:
03700 00 22 44
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, [10]Find out about call charges
Visas
Please see guidance on [11]Applying for a visa to come to the UK or
contact [12]UK Visas and immigration for help.
Travel Advice
If you require travel advice for your destination country, please visit
the [13]Travel Advice pages, which contain the latest information on
coronavirus, safety and security, entry requirements and areas where the
FCDO advises against travel. You can also subscribe to travel advice
email alerts for your destination and monitor the FCDO coronavirus travel
advice page. You can follow FCDO Travel social media channels
on [14]Twitter, [15]Facebook and [16]Instagram. If you have a question
about the advice or a topic that is not covered, [17]please submit an
enquiry.
Follow us online: www.gov.uk/fcdo
This email is intended for the addressee(s) only: All messages sent and
received by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office may be
monitored in line with relevant [18]UK legislation
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-inf...
2. https://www.register-afghanistan.service...
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
4. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-...
5. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
6. https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021...
7. mailto:[email address]
8. mailto:[email address]
9. mailto:[email address]
10. https://www.gov.uk/call-charges
11. https://www.gov.uk/apply-to-come-to-the-uk
12. https://www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-o...
13. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
14. https://twitter.com/fcdotravelgovuk
15. https://www.facebook.com/fcdotravel
16. https://www.instagram.com/travelaware/
17. https://www.contact-embassy.service.gov....
18. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
Dear P J Ballinger,
Internal Review for FOI2024/03971
Thank you for your request for an internal review of our response to your
FOI Request Ref FOI2024/03971
We received your request on 26th April and it has been assigned a unique
reference number above. We will aim to respond by 28th May.
Yours sincerely,
Information Rights Unit
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
OFFICIAL
Dear P J Ballinger,
I refer to your Internal Review request, reference IR2024/11309.
Please note that we are currently experiencing a very high volume of
casework and we apologise for the delay in finalising your response.
We cannot, unfortunately, provide a target date for your response at this
time, but we are doing our best to process your request and we will be in
touch as soon as we can with a response.
Yours Sincerely,
Information Rights Unit
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Follow us online: www.gov.uk/fcdo
This email is intended for the addressee(s) only: All messages sent and
received by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office may be
monitored in line with relevant [1]UK legislation
OFFICIAL
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
Dear P J Ballinger,
I am writing in response to your internal review request IR2024/11309,
received 26th April. Please find attached our response.
Yours sincerely,
Information Rights Unit
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
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