For the first time ever, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Czechia, Bulgaria and Latvia withheld support for renewing UNRWA’s mandate at a vote in the UN General Assembly. Germany’s Der Spiegel called it a “remarkable political shift.”
And in a vote on a second UNRWA resolution on Friday, those six EU countries were further joined by Austria, Romania and Lithuania. In previous years, all 27 EU states voted in favour of these resolutions.
The voting changes came in wake of UN Watch’s parliamentary testimony and media appearances in Germany and Italy, releasing a major report that exposed UNRWA’s terror ties.
“For the first time, Germany has rejected an extension of the mandate for UNRWA,” reported Der Spiegel. The preliminary vote took place in November, and was finalized at the UNGA on Friday.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said that Berlin first expected “consistent and verifiable reforms within UNRWA.”
Promised reforms at UNRWA have “not been adequately implemented,” said Wadephul, which is why “we have significantly adjusted our voting behavior compared to previous years.”
“And that is why, for the first time, we did not agree to an extension of the mandate, but abstained,” said Germany’s foreign minister, “because we want to make it clear that we expect a significant change, particularly in the work of the UNRWA relief agency in the Palestinian territories. There has been unacceptable cooperation there, in some cases with groups that are completely opposed to Israel and have fomented hostility.”
“We have therefore drawn the necessary conclusions and hope that this will now be understood and that the necessary reforms will finally be implemented.”
Germany’s Green Party criticized the abstention, calling it “a devastating signal.”
UN Watch Exposed UNRWA Terror Network
UN Watch’s launch of its new UNRWA Terror Network, an interactive investigative platform exposing the systemic infiltration of UNRWA by terrorist organizations, was recently covered on the front page of Germany’s Die Welt newspaper— see excerpt below.
In addition, in September, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer spoke in the German Parliament and at a Berlin press conference to present UN Watch’s report, Schools in the Grip of Terror. Germany remains the top funder of UNRWA, at some $200 million per year.
UN Watch’s revelations were reported by Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Berliner Morgenpost, Hamburger Abendblatt, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, and other newspapers.
After Berlin, Neuer went to Italy and spoke at the Senate in Rome to present UN Watch’s evidence. He was interviewed live on RAI, Italy’s national broadcaster. UN Watch’s report was also covered by La Stampa, Il Tempo, and Il Riformista.
UN voting shift: for the first time ever, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Czechia, Bulgaria & Latvia withheld support for renewing UNRWA's mandate. See 2022 vs. 2025 votes.
We had presented evidence of UNRWA terror ties before the German and Italian Parliaments: https://t.co/JzOkebQ7sg pic.twitter.com/QM89WnmFSL
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) December 7, 2025
