During an interview for German radio station HRinfo on October 1st, Dorothee Klaus, Director of UNRWA in Lebanon denied having any knowledge about the role of Fathi al-Sharif as the head of the UNRWA Teachers Union in Lebanon.  She also claimed that neither she nor any of her employees knew about his role as the head of Hamas in Lebanon — except she knew and UN Watch has the proof.

English Transcript: 

Radio Host:

As in the Gaza Strip UNRWA is now also coming under criticism in Lebanon. Hamas has announced that its highest commander in Lebanon has been killed. We will read about it in a few days. They know a certain Fatih al-Sharif, because he probably worked for them as a teacher. And not just as a simple teacher, but also for the UNRWA Union of Teachers, which he headed. How can someone like that teach children?

Dorothee Klaus:

Fathi al-Sharif has not worked for UNRWA since March. He has also not received a salary because we were afraid, in fact, that he was supporting external activities. I cannot give any information about what kind of function he fulfilled. We were not aware of this. We had an investigation underway, which was due to be completed soon.

Radio Host:

He could have already been a suspect. On the seventh of October last year, when Israel was attacked by Hamas with this terrible massacre. He posted “Allah is the greatest, praise to Allah” on the internet. Didn’t that seem strange to anyone at UNRWA?

Dorothee Klaus:

As I said, we observed him for a long time and then decided to expel him from the organization in March. So he no longer had access to any functions in the organization.

Radio Host:

As a result, several thousand teachers allegedly went on strike to get him back. How big is the problem of infiltration by Hamas people at UNRWA in Lebanon?

Dorothee Klaus:

You have to understand that after the seventh of October, the Palestinians were under extreme pressure and fear. This means that any expressions of solidarity must be understood as private and personal support and not necessarily for any political activities that were not known. This was also not known among our employees.

Radio Host:

This means that if a teacher privately celebrates Hamas attacks, this is irrelevant for his job?

Dorothee Klaus:

As I said, the organization has made a decision to expel the employee from the organization. This is then based on investigation processes that must be completed so that decisions can be made on the basis of evidence. And these decisions are then made.

Radio Host:

But if some Hamas supporters or even Hamas members in their organization have also managed to enter Lebanon, how worried must they be about becoming a target themselves?

Dorothee Klaus:

I can’t say anything about that. There is a security apparatus here that is still functioning, even though the country is currently in a major political, economic and security crisis. But it is still functioning. So there are no fears for the time being.

Dorothee Klaus listening to Fathi al-Sharif publically proclaim his support for Hamas

NEW VIDEO: A month after Hamas massacred 1200 Israelis on October 7, 2023—in the name of “resistance”—UNRWA’s Lebanon director, Dorothee Klaus of Germany, was on stage with Fathi al-Sharif, the leader of Hamas in Lebanon and head of the UNRWA Teachers Union. Why, @dualbfield? https://t.co/zjPBT87y0Y pic.twitter.com/cB10cjXf2C

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 2, 2024

The post UNRWA’s Director in Lebanon, Dorothee Klaus, lies on German radio; denies knowledge about Fathi al-Sharif’s leading role in UNRWA and Hamas appeared first on UN Watch.

UN Watch first raised the alarm about al-Sharif back in May when UNRWA Chief, Phillippe Lazzarini, made a trip to Beruit to negotiate with various terrorist leaders an end to UNRWA’s ongoing strike across the country in exchange for the reinstallment of al-Sharif, who was suspended following an allegation that he was engaging in political activities on UNRWA premises. Lazzarini left Beruit having made an undisclosed deal with the terrorists which according to them satisfied their demands and gave way for the end of the strike.

In the meantime, UN Watch drafted a detailed dossier showing the indisputable fact that al-Sharif was well connected to Hamas leaders and openly supported Hamas on his social media. On June 25, UN Watch hand-delivered this dossier to Lazzarini and UNRWA’s advisory commission during their meeting in Geneva. Later that day at a UN press conference, Lazzarini was asked about the al-Sharif case to which he responded that UN Watch’s dossier was “completely wrong” and “deliberately dishonest.” He then stated that al-Sharif was still under investigation and remained suspended. UNRWA quietly pushed this case under the rug while Lazzarini traveled the world telling donor states that according to the Colonna review “UNRWA has the most robust neutrality mechanisms of any similar organization.” At the same time, al-Sharif continued to post on his Facebook page certificates of appreciation from his school’s parents’ association and the test scores of his students, all indications were that he was still involved in school affairs.

A full three months later, al-Sharif is killed and the truth finally comes out. Hamas published a statement calling him the “leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas in Lebanon and a member of the movement’s leadership abroad.” Hamas also stated that “he worked as a successful teacher and administrator, and contributed to building an educated and resistant generation, committed to the struggle for the liberation of Palestine, a career that was full of sacrifices, sweat and blood.” Hamas itself thus exposed the true face of UNRWA: to teach resistance and recruit youth to its ranks.

Hamas poster of al-sharif:

Hamas’ TV channel released a eulogy video where al-sharif appears prominently with Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh. In the video, al-Sharif is also seen leading students from an UNRWA school into a Hamas rally which he then leads. He is also seen walking around town with two Hamas bodyguards. It is abundantly clear from these images that anyone in Al-Buss Camp in Tyre Lebanon and anyone competent who worked with him must have known that Fathi al-Shari held a leadership role in Hamas.

Al-Sharif being escorted by Hamas bodyguards around town:

At his funeral, al-Sharif’s body is adorned with Hamas flags:

Other terrorist groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, and the Palestinian Forces Alliance in Lebanon which includes PFLP and the Houthis also eulogized al-Sharif and called him the leader of Hamas in Lebanon.

Surely after all of this, UNRWA would finally be ready to acknowledge that he was a member of Hamas and they should have suspended him earlier. And yet, they still do not. When Phillippe Lazzarini was asked about this at a press conference in Geneva on the same day it occurred, his response was that “the investigation was still ongoing.” When Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Guterres was asked about this later that day his response was that “most people who are engaged in underground organizations try not to have their involvement known publicly.”

The only problem? Fathi al-Sharif was extremely public about his support and connection to Hamas’ leadership for over a decade. If UNRWA can not close an investigation in 7 months about such a clear-cut case with abundant evidence, what does that say about their potential to uncover hundreds or thousands of lower-level operatives within UNRWA? Why did it take UNRWA years before they even took any action at all?

Astonishingly, this same week the Secretary-General affirmed to member states his “full confidence in UNRWA’s continued commitment to upholding the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and humanity.” States like Qatar, Algeria, Luxembourg, and Jordan repeated the same lies about UNRWA’s robust mechanisms, and based on these lies countries like Germany and the EU pledged millions more of taxpayer dollars towards UNRWA.

To top it off, UNRWA’s director in Lebanon, Dorothee Klaus, went on a German radio show on October 1st and denied even knowing what position al-Shairf held with UNRWA in Lebanon. She also denied knowing anything about his support for terrorism. However, UN Watch has obtained a video where al-Sharif shouts about his involvement with and support for the resistance right in front of her only a month after the October 7th massacre.

Radio interview with Dorothee Klaus:

Video of al-sharif proclaiming his support for the resistance in front of Dorothee Klaus and a cheering crowd of UNRWA employees on November 8, 2023:

UNRWA continues to allude to the fact that they suspended al-Sharif in March as evidence of their robust mechanisms to ensure neutrality. The problem is that in addition to all the recent evidence UN Watch delivered to UNRWA on al-Sharif, his Facebook profile is replete with evidence of his involvement with Hamas and brainwashing of children stretching further than a decade. The fact they only suspended him this March is a sign of failure — not success.

Fathi al-Sharif has been a well-known figure in UNRWA since before Dorothee Klaus was Director in Lebanon. In the picture below from 2013, al-Sharif is seen with former Lebanon Director, Anne Dismorr, at a ceremony in his school.

Yet after he rose to prominence in UNRWA, al-Sharif continued to post pictures on his Facebook as a Hamas leader, honoring fellow members with awards and delivering a speech at a clearly labeled Hamas event in 2016.

In 2015, al-Sharif also posted pictures inviting Hamas members including Jihad Taha, the public face of Hamas in Lebanon, to an UNRWA event at his school.

At these events, it was no secret that the stated aim was to brainwash children to fight for Hamas. One featured a workshop on building tunnels with a sign that read “Toward Jerusalem.”

Fathi was also not afraid to post pictures of students dressed in Hamas military uniforms. In the picture below, his son acts as a commander leading a platoon of young children holding weapons.

One collage features a young boy holding a weapon while wearing the school uniform. Next to it, is a photo of al-Sharif sitting at his desk in front of many UNRWA awards.

During the wave of violence that began in late 2015 called by some the ‘Knives Intifada’ because of the 211 knife attacks by Palestinians, al-Sharif organized a school event to celebrate. Fathi al-Sharif delivered a speech stating: “Today we are witnessing a new generation of martyrs who have written stories of heroism and proven that fighting the enemy does not require strategic weapons, but only faith that Palestine belongs solely to us. The love for Palestine is demonstrated only by sacrificing the most precious things for the sake of its liberation. What is happening today in Palestine is a natural response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation.” His student held up signs like the one pictured below stating: “#Jerusalem #My people will be part of the Intifada #The Knives Intifada.”

All of the evidence was out in the open for years, yet UNRWA’s Western figureheads like Lazzarini and Klaus continue to lie and cover up for those who are really in control of UNRWA on the ground. Instead of acknowledging UNRWA’s problems they continue to lie to donor countries and lobby for more funding. To date, they have not once acknowledged that Fathi al-Sharif was a Hamas Leader. The UNRWA Teachers Union in Lebanon did not distance themselves from al-Sharif when it became public that he was the head of Hamas, instead, they have doubled down and made clear that they will continue their open defiance of UNRWA’s neutrality policies. The Union has released a video of al-Sharif publicly endorsing resistance multiple times and continues to glorify him as a “genuine unionist” and as having died as a “noble martyr.” Fathi al-Sharif is only the tip of the iceberg, UNRWA’s relationship to Hamas will continue in his absence. It is time to end UNRWA.

The post Hamas Confirms its Leader in Lebanon was also the Head of the UNRWA Teachers Union appeared first on UN Watch.

As documented by UN Watch’s new report, UNRWA knows about al-Sharif’s role in promoting Hamas terrorism yet refuses to fire him, and has also withdrawn its prior demand that he resign.

______________

Al Akhbar

German director bans solidarity with Gaza: A political purge at UNRWA

Politics Case of the Day  | Ibrahim al-Amin, Faten al-Haj 

March 25, 2024 — The pro-Israeli Western capitals are sweeping through all UN institutions involved in providing humanitarian support to the Palestinian people inside and outside Palestine.

The concentrated campaign on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) came in the context of attempts to close the agency, which Israel considers a symbol of keeping the refugee issue alive in the world.

The enemy resorted to fabricating news and information about the involvement of UNRWA employees in military actions against the occupation forces, whether in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, or in talking about the agency allowing resistance factions in the Gaza Strip to use its headquarters for military purposes, and the existence of tunnels under the agency’s headquarters, a campaign that facilitated a long-sought decision by Western governments to cut off funding to the agency in preparation for its removal.

In Lebanon, agency workers have long faced administrative issues. But the new campaign took on a different dimension after German Dorothee Klaus took over as UNRWA’s director in Lebanon in February 2023. Klaus has served in various positions at the agency in Jordan and Palestine, and is seen as an expert on Palestinian affairs (her doctoral dissertation was titled “Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon – Where Do They Belong?” and followed extensive studies Klaus conducted among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon between 1996 and 1999).

However, contrary to what was expected of her as an expert in refugee affairs and knowledgeable about the oppression of refugees in Lebanon and the world in general, during her year of administration, Klaus showed a clear bias towards Western policies to eliminate the idea of resistance from the minds of refugees, while her activism to improve the conditions of refugees in Lebanon took on a political dimension supporting their settlement by urging them to be granted all the rights of residents of Lebanon.

Since assuming her post, the German official, like all foreign ambassadors, has been making constant rounds to all officials, until there is hardly any official left whom she has not visited publicly or out of the spotlight, including Hezbollah. Experts on the work of foreign delegates in Lebanon note that the German embassy in Beirut exercises “guardianship” over Klaus, who meets periodically with the German ambassador and embassy staff in Beirut, under the pretext that they are “helping to address issues facing civil society allies.”

After the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, the German official personally took a political stance in solidarity with Israel. She led a campaign to “save UNRWA” by adopting policies of political cleansing within the agency and seeking the dismissal or resignation of any employee “who does not comply with the conditions of political silence,” knowing that the agency’s workers, the overwhelming majority of whom are Palestinians, are concerned with the genocidal war being waged against Gaza.

She also took advantage of the Israeli campaign to take steps aimed at eliminating any activity, position or policy that opposes Western trends, in addition to always talking about precautionary measures it is taking as a result of data it receives that the enemy is about to launch a major war on Lebanon, and that it wants to spare UNRWA centers in the camps or outside them from what is happening in Gaza. She studied a plan to invest in new headquarters in areas she considers “outside the scope of the Israeli army” in case of war.

In response to this mission, the German official tried to grasp all the joints of the administrative work, and moved to work among teachers in UNRWA schools. She started from the fact that most of the activists in the union, or those who won its management, are not from PLO organizations and are not particularly affiliated with Fatah. She reacted to “security data” and other “political data” indicating that these teachers support Hamas, participate in activities that support the liberation of Palestine, and work to demonstrate their position during their work as well. This led Klaus to conduct investigations with quite a few of these teachers to determine “the truth about their involvement in activities that conflict with their work at UNRWA.”

The most notable step was the campaign against educator Fathi al-Sharif, the head of the Agency’s Teachers’ Union sector. Klaus personally campaigned against him and tried to get him to resign from his position, communicating with a large number of Lebanese political forces and Palestinian parties to achieve this goal.

After he refused to comply with the decision, she asked UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to act, and the latter issued a decision to suspend Sharif for three months without pay, renewable, and asked him to hand over all his belongings and subject him to investigation on the basis of accusations, including:

• First: Violating the principle of neutrality through his ideological and political affiliation with Hamas and holding a senior leadership position in the organization.

• Second: Traveling abroad, especially to Turkey, without obtaining permission from the administration and meeting with senior Hamas leaders (although the visit was for purely family reasons, and there is irrefutable evidence and proven documents in this regard).

• Third: Conducting activities in support of Gaza and Palestine

In explaining the reason for the action, Klaus said that the donor countries that provide funding to UNRWA have feedback, and “they want explanations and steps to confirm that there are no Hamas elements” in the agency.

After scrutiny, Klaus herself acknowledged that the relevant embassies in Lebanon had talked about “security reports about some employees, including al-Sharif, doing political and organizational work and visiting Turkey to hold meetings with the Hamas leadership there.”

Lebanese sources following the file found that the embassies of the United States, Germany, France and Britain focus on the Palestinian security file, request data from Lebanese political, security and official bodies, and use non-governmental organizations (funded by these embassies) to collect information on the activities carried out by UNRWA employees outside their official duties, including any cultural, sports and social activities, with a focus on collecting data on everything they have done since the Al-Aqsa flood battle, whether in terms of organizing vigils or solidarity marches with Gaza or calling for support for the Palestinian resistance, as well as monitoring their posts on social media pages.

As in every internal Palestinian file, the UNRWA administration cooperates with the security authorities of the Ramallah authority and its representative in the Palestinian embassy in Beirut, and coordinates information with him, especially with regard to the teachers’ union, which is the most heated file, after the elections in the union led to the fall of the candidates of most factions of the Palestine Liberation Organization, especially Fatah. The “Ramallah men” in Beirut accuse the independents who won the elections of being “secret members” of Hamas, and talk about the close ties of some of them with Hamas officials. In one interview, Klaus even went so far as to tell a senior UNRWA employee, “You have to choose between your work at UNRWA and the liberation of Palestine!”

In an attempt to provide Lebanese coverage for this decision, Klaus contacted the Director of Intelligence of the Lebanese Army, Brigadier General Tony Kahwaji, the Acting Director General of General Security, Major General Elias Bisri, and the Internal Security Forces Command to inform them that the pressures on the agency are forcing it to take measures against employees who have political and practical ties with the resistance forces.

The Socialist Party and Hezbollah deny covering the decisions to punish employees of the Teachers’ Union

Klaus also turned to Hezbollah and held two meetings with the party’s international relations official, former MP Ammar al-Moussawi, who explained to her that the party is not interested in asking anyone to change their speech or behavior, and that the party has nothing to do with the internal work of the agency. All the party did after the meeting was to inform the Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ahmad Abdul Hadi, that Klaus had discussed al-Sharif’s file and wanted him to resign.

However, Klaus misrepresented the party’s position and rumored within UNRWA that she had convinced Hezbollah of her point of view and asked it to intercede with Hamas and Sharif to convince him to resign in exchange for a large financial compensation, suggesting that the party understood her position, which the latter categorically denies.

She also tried the same thing with the Progressive Socialist Party, whose officials initiated contact with the Hamas leadership, explaining that they are not concerned with Klaus’s actions and that they are convinced that the issue is political and targets the resistance project: “We are with you.”

Exposed: UNRWA leaders linked to Hamas & Al Qaida

Meet Fathi Abu Amin al-Sharif, head of UNRWA teachers Union in Lebanon.

Here he is (left) with Abu Tariq, deputy chief of Asbat al-Ansar, listed as a terrorist group even by the UN itself.https://t.co/Uu1MBRlZxu 🧵 pic.twitter.com/G8RjRgQ914

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) June 20, 2024

October 2019: UNRWA Lebanon director Claudio Cordone (center), former secretary-general of @Amnesty International, bestows “Certificate of Appreciation” upon Hamas terrorist ally and supporter Fateh al-Sharif (left), head of the UNRWA teachers union. https://t.co/jBl41LZdYC /8 pic.twitter.com/RPotH8Rkiq

— UN Watch (@UNWatch) June 22, 2024

Today we are releasing new information, as reported by Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar: top UNRWA official Fathi al-Sharif holds a senior leadership position in Hamas. He is president of the UNRWA teachers union in Lebanon, overseeing 65 schools of 39,000 Palestinian students. /2 pic.twitter.com/DDLhwXpuV9

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) June 25, 2024

The post Al-Akhbar: Head of UNRWA Teachers is “Senior Leader of Hamas“ appeared first on UN Watch.

A new report by the Geneva-based non-governmental watchdog group documents over a decade of overt promotion of Hamas terrorism by al-Sharif. Facebook posts by al-Sharif since 2013 show him repeatedly praising Hamas terrorist attacks, glorifying terrorist leaders, and participating at Hamas events celebrating terrorism. The photos are astonishing, because his activities would have been known to hundreds of his UNRWA colleagues for over a decade.

In March, as reported by Reuters and Palestinian media in Lebanon, Lazzarini suspended al-Sharif, and UNRWA requested him to resign — which conveniently would have allowed al-Sharif to leave without any censure and to collect a pension. Notably, the PLO did not object, and has said nothing to defend al-Sharif.

By contrast, the Alliance of Palestinian Forces, which includes Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other rejectionist factions, mobilized mass protests that shut down UNRWA operations in Lebanon for the past few months.

Lazzarini flew to Lebanon a few weeks ago and successfully negotiated an end to the al-Sharif protests on June 3, 2024.

Palestinian Refugees Portal reported that in order to end the shutdown, Lazzarini had agreed—in a meeting with the alliance of terrorist factions—to reinstate al-Sharif. Lazzarini later denied that.

At yesterday’s UNRWA meeting in the Palais, UN Watch handed its new report about al-Sharif to the UNRWA Secretary who said she would give it to Lazzarini. She asked UN Watch not to distribute the report to the delegates from member states at the meeting.

It is outrageous that Lazzarini is refusing to fire al-Sharif. Saying that the matter is “under investigation” is unacceptable. The world can see voluminous photos and posts in the public domain showing al-Sharif promoting Hamas terrorism — and this was well known to many at UNRWA for over a decade.

Talk of implementing the Colonna Report’s recommendations and of mechanisms are hollow if Lazzarini will not fire this overt supporter of terrorism, who has been brainwashing generations of Palestinian students to celebrate terrorism.

The post Lazzarini Must Fire UNRWA Union Head Promoting Hamas Terrorism appeared first on UN Watch.

Islamic Association of Palestine Students

We will lead massive student movements if UNRWA does not retract its behavior against the head of the Teachers’ Union in Lebanon, the educator, Mr. Fateh Sharif.

The Islamic Association of Palestine Students in Lebanon expresses its shock at the news circulating about the behavior of the Director General of UNRWA in Lebanon in trying to blackmail the head of the Teachers’ Union in Lebanon, Mr. Fateh Sharif, by asking him to resign or subject him to an internal investigation committee because of his nationalist positions.

We, in the Islamic Association of Palestine Students, consider this behavior adopted by the UNRWA administration in Lebanon, represented by its Director General, Mrs. Dorothy Klaus, to be an unprecedented transgression that may lead to a popular, trade union and social explosion.

We also remind the administration and director of UNRWA in Lebanon that Mr. Fateh Sharif, director of Deir Yassin Secondary School in the Tire region, set a distinguished example of dedication to his work as a school director, as he built an educational edifice and a beacon of knowledge that should be a model for spreading to all UNRWA schools, in addition to his dedication to union work and service to the sector. Education in Lebanon, where the fields of union and demand work bear witness to countless achievements.
Accordingly, we in the Islamic Association of Palestine Students affirm the following:

First: We refuse for UNRWA to compromise on the national positions of Professor Fateh Sharif and of all UNRWA employees. Rather, we call on all employees to explicitly express their comprehensive national positions, especially with regard to our battle with the Israeli occupation.

Second: The UNRWA administration must immediately retract its suspicious behavior at this sensitive time and apologize to the great educator, Professor Fath Sharif.

Third: We stand behind Professor Fath Sharif and the Teachers’ Union in Lebanon in their union battle with the UNRWA administration, and we are certain that there will be an additional victory for this union’s path in the end.

Fourth: We call on the General Conference of Employees’ Unions in the five countries to stand up against this malicious policy pursued by the UNRWA administration in Lebanon by entering into a labor dispute with the Commissioner-General and his team.

Fifth: We warn the UNRWA administration that we will lead popular and student movements in all the camps, leading to paralyzing all UNRWA facilities, starting from the regional office all the way to the district and camp offices, if the administration does not back down from this immoral behavior against a great leader and educator among the leaders of the Palestinian people in Lebanon.

Islamic Association of Palestine Students in Lebanon
Beirut, Friday, March 1, 2024

This student organization backing Fathi al-Sharif openly supports terrorist attacks, such as the October 13, 2023 Hamas attempted infiltration of Israeli Moshav Margaliot, which killed three terrorists, including Suhaib Omar Kayed of Wadi Al-Zeina, glorified at the event below. The students are all holding a photo of the Hamas terrorist. Al-Sharif himself also celebrated this terrorist.

A valuable devotional evening in Wadi al-Zeina

As part of its purposeful educational journey, and in order to create a good environment for youth and students, and to commemorate the last ten nights of Ramadan, the Islamic Association of Palestine Students held a devotional evening for its students in Wadi Al-Zeina under the title “Al-Marabit Student”.

The evening included an educational segment entitled “Resisting Triviality”, which addressed a number of important topics for Muslim youth in dealing with and preventing triviality in social media and other social media sites.

A video titled “The Story of the Great War of Liberation” was also shown, which simulates the jihad and work of generations and generations to liberate the Holy House of Jerusalem from Al-Zenki and Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi to the current events.

At the end, the movie “Muqbil”, a documentary about the life of the student Suhaib Omar Kayed, may Allah accept him.

#Islamic_Association_of_Palestine_Students
#Palestine_is_waiting_for_much_of_us

 

The post Pro-Hamas student league calls for strikes to back UNRWA terrorist Fathi al-Sharif appeared first on UN Watch.

I. Despite Promising to Implement Colonna Reforms, UNRWA in Gross Violation of Neutrality Obligations

As documented below, UNRWA is in gross breach of the neutrality commitments that it recently made to donor countries in order for them to reinstate funding, including the agency’s promise to implement all of the findings of the April 2024 Colonna Report. Dutch aid minister Liesje Schreinemacher told parliament in April that the Netherlands would not renew funding to UNRWA unless it implements the Colonna Report’s recommendations. In light of UNRWA’s handling of the al-Sharif case, which is documented below, we urge the Netherlands not to resume funding to UNRWA. 

Despite UNRWA knowing for more than a decade that the head of its teachers union in Lebanon, Fathi al-Sharif (a.k.a. Fateh “Abo Amin” al-Sharif), overseeing 39,000 students in 65 schools, is part of Hamas and an overt promoter of terrorism, the agency is refusing to fire him. 

UNRWA chief Lazzarini initiated an external review of UNRWA in mid-January 2024 in response to revelations about the agency’s terror ties, including a 3,000-member UNRWA staff Telegram group and the participation of at least 12 UNRWA employees in the October 7 Hamas attack. The mandate of that review, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, was to “conduct an independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.” The Colonna Review Group published its final report, containing 50 separate recommendations, on April 20, 2024. This was immediately followed by a commitment from UNRWA to implement the report, and a cascade of donors agreeing to renew funding.

Separate and apart from UNRWA’s commitments under the Colonna Report, UNRWA is also bound by UN & UNRWA staff regulations on neutrality (See Colonna Report p. 18), the UNRWA Code of Ethics (newly updated in February 2024), and commitments to other donors. Both UN and UNRWA regulations require staff to “avoid any action and in particular any kind of public pronouncement which may adversely reflect on their status, or on the integrity, independence and impartiality which are required by that status.” The Code of Ethics further explains that UNRWA employees should “not take sides in situations of armed conflict, public controversies or other political, racial, religious, or ideological disputes.” The Code of Ethics is also clear that “attending demonstrations … that are political or could become politicized” or “displaying controversial flags or symbols, or holding political meetings or religious services in UNRWA installations” all constitute neutrality breaches.

Regarding specific donor commitments, we note that when the European Commission announced on March 1 that it would allocate an additional 68 Million Euro to UNRWA, it highlighted UNRWA’s commitments to (1) review its staff to make sure they did not participate in October 7, (2) launch an audit by EU appointed external experts to review UNRWA controls to prevent involvement of staff in terrorist activities, and (3) strengthen its department of internal investigations. It also welcomed the Colonna review which would “assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious breaches.”

Likewise, even though the U.S. funding freeze has been extended until March 2025, $121 million had already been transferred to UNRWA by the end of January 2024, and UNRWA is still bound by its commitments in its 2023-24 Framework Agreement with the U.S. These include, (1) addressing neutrality violations in line with UNRWA’s neutrality framework, including prompt and transparent disciplinary proceedings for staff violations, (2) ensuring U.S. assistance is not used to aid a refugee “who is receiving military training as a member of the so-called Palestinian Liberation Army, or any guerilla-type organization or anyone who has engaged in any act of terrorism,” and (3) to ensure that U.S. funding “does not provide assistance to, or otherwise support, terrorists or terrorist organizations.”

UNRWA’s handling of the Al-Sharif case breaches all of these obligations and commitments.

1. Staff union politicization & support for Hamas. The Colonna report expressly found that UNRWA staff unions are “politicized” and “have sometimes resisted management disciplinary actions, including on neutrality” (p. 32). This is clear from past cases where the staff unions rallied behind teachers who had been suspended for neutrality violations connected to terrorism. In 2011, when UNRWA principal/Hamas member Suhail al-Hindi was suspended for his Hamas activities, the Gaza staff union protested for three months until al-Hindi returned to work. The next year, al-Hindi was elected head of that staff union. Indeed, Hamas has controlled the UNRWA Gaza staff union for years. In 2023, when teacher Riad Nimr was suspended for posting support for terrorism on Facebook, the Lebanon staff union orchestrated three weeks of protests until Nimr was returned to work. The same politicization marks the months of protests on behalf of Fateh al-Sharif who heads the UNRWA Lebanon staff union, is a principal in the UNRWA Deir Yassin school, and is also an active member of Hamas. Like with Suhail al-Hindi and Riad Nimr, the UNRWA Lebanon staff union led more than two months of protests, including school strikes across Lebanon, forced UNRWA’s Beirut headquarters to shutdown, and threatened UNRWA’s Lebanon Director Dorothy Klaus, accusing her of blackmailing al-Sharif, until UNRWA Chief Phillipe Lazzarini finally caved to the pressure. Clearly UNRWA has not dealt with the issue of politicization among its staff unions.

2. Hamas-linked unions threaten management. The Colonna report also found that UNRWA’s staff unions have used “intimidation tactics and threats” to force “numerous UNRWA directors to be transferred to different positions and contexts for their own security” (p. 32). As detailed below, in the context of the Al-Sharif rallies, the Lebanon teachers’ union issued a statement that UNRWA Lebanon Director Dorothy Klaus was “playing with fire,” accused her of “blackmail,” and created a large banner depicting Klaus with a big red X on her face which was displayed behind al-Sharif when he addressed one of the rallies. The Al-Sharif protests were also backed by a coalition of terrorists which likewise threatened UNRWA, accusing Klaus of doing Israel’s bidding, and saying she had crossed “all red lines” and was “ignit[ing] fire with [her] own hands to destroy UNRWA.” As in the past, UNRWA allowed itself to be threatened and succumbed to the pressure. Lazzarini even met and negotiated with the terrorists. The Al-Sharif case shows that nothing has changed at UNRWA in this regard.

3. Gross violation of neutrality obligations under UN & UNRWA Regulations and ethics code. While UNRWA did suspend al-Sharif in February 2024, al-Sharif’s current status is unclear. The reports discussed below indicate that UNRWA suspended al-Sharif and asked for his resignation, but that he refused. According to the Palestinian Refugees Portal website, Lazzarini agreed to cancel the suspension in exchange for ending the UNRWA strike that was paralyzing UNRWA’s operations in Lebanon. The Colonna Report recommended UNRWA to “strengthen disciplinary processes across the agency” (p. 24). UNRWA’s handling of the al-Sharif case reflects the opposite.

As detailed below, the evidence is overwhelming that al-Sharif and his UNRWA colleagues in Lebanon grossly breached their neutrality obligations and that al-Sharif should have been fired long ago. 

• • Al-Sharif is a member of Hamas. As shown below, Al-Sharif has attended Hamas events, rallies, and funerals, always appearing near the Hamas leadership. Key Hamas leaders attended his son’s wedding, including Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi who just told a Lebanese newspaper that if Hamas could go back in time, it would still commit the October 7 attack. It is not accidental that a person like al-Sharif who is closely associated with Hamas heads the UNRWA Lebanon teachers’ union. This is exactly the same modus operandi seen with Suhail al-Hindi in Gaza in 2011-12. This alone constitutes a breach of neutrality.
• • Al-Sharif openly supports terrorism on Facebook. A quick glance at Al-Sharif’s Facebook page, which has 4,000 friends, shows that he openly supports Hamas and other terrorist groups in breach of UN & UNRWA regulations and the UNRWA Code of Ethics. For example, on October 7, al-Sharif praised the Hamas attacks, proclaiming “God is the greatest, God is the greatest…”  On July 2, 2019, he praised Hamas leader Hassan Youssef as a “firm leader,” adding “we are all proud of you.” On November 21, 2021, he celebrated Hamas terrorist Fadi Abu Shkhidem with the words “our blood creates victory” after Abu Shkhidem was killed carrying out a terrorist attack that killed one and injured four. On November 23, 2023, Al-Sharif also endorsed Hamas’s hostage-taking as a strategy to get convicted Palestinian terrorists released from Israeli jails. These are just some examples of many.
• • Organizes politicized student protests on UNRWA premises. As detailed below, Al-Sharif proudly boasts on Facebook about the many political rallies he organized for his students in UNRWA camps and facilities, including within school grounds, clearly violating UNRWA’s Code of Ethics. At one of these rallies, a student is seen holding a Hamas flag. 
• • UNRWA knew about al-Sharif’s terror support for years but took no action. Al-Sharif’s 4,000 Facebook friends include many UNRWA teachers. As shown below, his posts supporting Hamas are often liked by his UNRWA teacher friends. A February 28, 2015 post endorsing violent resistance as “an honor” was liked by several UNRWA employees. Likewise, his July 2, 2019 post praising Hamas leader Hassam Youssef was also liked by several UNRWA employees. As far back as 2013, al-Sharif had endorsed the kidnapping and murder of an Israeli soldier, writing “resistance” “by all means” is “our right.” Al-Sharif’s support for, and association with, Hamas was no secret. Everyone at UNRWA knew about this. 
• • Instead of Firing al-Sharif, UNRWA awarded al-Sharif a Certificate of Excellence. Yet, not only did UNRWA take no action against al-Sharif, it awarded him with a Certificate of Excellence in October 2019. 
• • Other UNRWA Lebanon employees are in gross breach of neutrality. Aside from al-Sharif, many other UNRWA Lebanon employees have been implicated in neutrality violations and should be investigated and disciplined. At a minimum, these include all of the UNRWA employees that clicked like on al-Sharif’s hateful Facebook posts and all of the UNRWA Lebanon employees – some 2,000 – that have been participating in the strikes in support of al-Sharif, shutting down UNRWA services, and demanding that al-Sharif be reinstated. 

4. Breach of commitment to EU in exchange for funding. When the EU announced 68 million Euros of funding to UNRWA on March 1, it specifically commended the fact that the Colonna Review was going to “assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious breaches.” However, the Al-Sharif case shows that UNRWA is not doing everything in its power to ensure neutrality, as Hamas-member al-Sharif appears to still be employed by UNRWA and to head the UNRWA Lebanon teachers’ union. 

5. Gross violations of commitments to U.S. UNRWA received $121 million from the U.S. in 2024. Pursuant to UNRWA’s framework for cooperation agreement with the U.S., UNRWA must conduct prompt and transparent disciplinary proceedings for staff violations. The proceedings against al-Sharif have been neither prompt nor transparent, as UNRWA has refused to publicly clarify al-Sharif’s current employment status. Moreover, UNRWA is to ensure that funding does not go to support any refugee who has received military training from a terrorist organization, or to support terrorism. Not enough is known about al-Sharif’s Hamas activities to ascertain whether these provisions have been breached, but UNRWA should be conducting a full investigation about al-Sharif’s Hamas ties and activities and publicize its findings. 

II. Dorothy Klaus Suspends Al-Sharif For Colonna Review, But Refuses to Fire Him

In the wake of October 7th, UNRWA premises in Lebanon experienced months of political protests and fundraising campaigns related to the war in Gaza at the behest of the UNRWA Teachers Staff Union. This included organizing a “national open day” at all UNRWA schools where students and teachers were required to “wear the Palestinian Kofiya, wear black clothes and raise the Palestinian flag,” and shed “light on the right of our people to resist the occupier according to a planned program, calling on the student forces and parents of students to organize angry demonstrations that go round the streets of camps and cheer for Palestine, Aqsa, prisoners and martyrs.” Protests like these continued unchecked for months, in clear violation of UNRWA neutrality rules, and paralyzed the UNRWA school system in Lebanon.  UNRWA took action only in February 2024 because of the public scrutiny it was facing after its largest donors had suspended funding over severe neutrality breaches by UNRWA staff and the Lazzarini appointed the external review led by Catherine Colonna to assess UNRWA’s compliance with neutrality. These developments prompted UNRWA Lebanon Director Dorothy Klaus to summon several UNRWA school principals who had been leading the disruptive political activities, warning them that they were in violation of UNRWA neutrality and that they would have to resign if they refused to comply.

Despite the warnings from Klaus, the disruptive political activities on UNRWA premises in Lebanon continued. Therefore, on February 26, Klaus summoned Fateh al-Sharif, one of the protest leaders who is also the principal of UNRWA’s Deir Yassin High School and head of the UNRWA Lebanon teachers’ union, and informed him that he had until March 2 to resign or face an investigation for his political activities on UNRWA premises. When al-Sharif declined to resign, Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini sent him an email confirming his suspension for three months for “political activities violating neutrality.”

In addition to being a leader of the post-October 7th protests in UNRWA facilities, Al-Sharif is also a Hamas member. He has attended Hamas events, rallies, and funerals, always appearing near the Hamas leadership. For example, in December 2021, Al-Sharif participated in the funeral of three Hamas members who had been killed by the Palestinian Authority. He eulogized the Hamas members as “our martyrs” and “men of high importance” and wished “curses upon those who killed them,” referring to the PA forces. As noted above, key Hamas leaders attended al-Sharif’s son’s wedding. Al-Sharif also has close personal ties with other terrorists. In June 2023, al-Sharif mourned the death of his friend Sheikh Haitham Abdul Karim Al-Saadi (“Abu Tariq”), deputy emir of the Asbat al-Ansar — designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., UK, Canada, the UN, and others — whom he referred to as his “honorable brothers.”

III. UNRWA Union and Terrorist Groups Unite to Threaten UNRWA Officials

Al-Sharif’s suspension provoked significant backlash. The UNRWA Lebanon teachers’ union quickly issued “Statement No. 1,” characterizing the suspension as an “existential threat,” “blackmail,” and a “declaration of war,” while praising al-Sharif’s reputation as a union leader, as well as al-Sharif’s leadership in hiring hundreds of UNRWA teachers.

“Whoever does not know who “Fateh Amin Sharif” is among his people, let him know that he is a man the size of a nation, and whoever dares to blackmail this important person is blackmailing our Palestinian people in Lebanon from the far north to the far south. Neither UNRWA nor any framework in this world, no matter how high its status, can blackmail us with our patriotism, thought, and belonging to our beloved land”

“[Klaus] is playing with fire and an existential war in which only the owners of the land and the cause will remain,” indicating that “neither the UNRWA agency nor any framework in this world, no matter how high its status, can blackmail us.”

Palestinian terrorist groups such as Hamas, through its Office of Refugee Affairs, and the PFLP defended al-Sharif, framing UNRWA’s actions as an attack on Palestinian national identity — “the national affiliation of our people’s employees is a red line that we do not allow to be crossed.”

Subsequently, a coalition of Palestinian terrorist groups, including the Palestinian Forces Alliance, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front (DFLP), the Islamic Forces, civil committees, representatives of the Palestine Scholars Council and Association, the Houthis, and the Popular Committees made a “declaration of conflict and administrative disobedience” with UNRWA. These groups made it clear that the PLO and PA were not welcomed as part of the coalition. They imposed a nationwide strike in 62 UNRWA schools affecting 36,000 children, proclaiming this as a warning that would escalate if the decision was not reversed. The protests also forced the shutdown of UNRWA’s Beirut headquarters.

This terrorist coalition also made direct threats to UNRWA Lebanon Director Dorothy Klaus insinuating that she was working with Zionist forces despite Klaus’s adamant stance that she was only trying to reassure donor states. In one statement the coalition asked:

“In whose interest will the file of accountability for intellectual and political affiliation be activated at this time? Who is the instigator of this? For whose benefit does this new terrorism practice against specific intellectual and political trends under the pretext of supporting donor countries? Are the Director General, her team, and those who incited her able to bear the consequences of this new and dangerous trend.”

In a joint letter, the coalition wrote:

“The UNRWA administration in Lebanon, represented by its Director General, Mrs. Dorothy Klaus, crosses all red lines and ignites fire with its own hands to destroy UNRWA, in complement and harmony with the malicious projects that aim to liquidate the issue.”

“The Palestinian political forces are determined to wage the confrontation until the end so as not to repeat the rosary and threaten employees with dismissal as a sword drawn over their necks under the pretext of violating “neutrality,” which means stripping national affiliation in favor of the job or stopping financial funding for “UNRWA,” considering that the political forces refuse. UNRWA’s attempts to classify employees, distinguish between them, and threaten them, stressing that the threat of employees by the agency’s director in Lebanon, Dorothy Klaus, is a tampering with the social security and civil stability of the Palestinian community in Lebanon…”

In the picture below, Fateh al-Sharif is seen delivering a speech in front of the UNRWA HQ in Beirut with a banner featuring Dorothy Klaus with a red X over her face. The second picture is the posters put up by the student forces of Klaus.

In another statement, the coalition threatened to equate the UNRWA administration with enemies of the “resistance” unless UNRWA reverses its decision:

The UNRWA administration warned against targeting any of our people’s employees, and we will place them in line with the malicious projects that target our people and their resistance…”

Philippe Lazzarini’s deputy, Antonia De Meo, further fueled the tension by suggesting that the agency could transfer its services to a Palestinian administration, causing an uproar among Palestinians who insist UNRWA must continue to exist until their right of return is realized. The DFLP’s Relief Agency Department expressed its rejection of De Meo’s proposal, stating that it “contradicts the decision to establish UNRWA which links its existence to the end of the reason for which it was established” — the “reason” being the creation of the State of Israel — and that the Palestinian Authority is not a substitute for UNRWA.

For more than two months, al-Sharif, student leaders, and leaders of this terrorist coalition coordinated protests across UNRWA premises. A student association vowed to escalate its measures if the administration did not meet their demands:

“We denounce this unjust decision and demand that the UNRWA administration reverse it. Otherwise, we in the student forces and Palestinian youth organizations in Lebanon will proceed to take escalatory measures in all regions and gradually if the administration does not respond to our legitimate demand…”

In early March, Al-Sharif spoke in front of a student march in the Al-Bass camp, where Deir Yassin High School is located, asserting that he has not resigned and will not change his position or stop his activities. Al-Sharif said:

“The job was never a goal, and it will never humiliate us, nor will it make us give up our rights, our dignity, and our pride. I said it, and I say it, and I repeat it, that our affiliation to Palestine, to our people, to Gaza, to the West Bank, and to all of Palestine, is a religious affiliation, and there is no going back from it.”

Member of the Popular Committee of Ain al-Hilweh Camp, Adnan al-Rifai, told one news source that it is impossible to expect UNRWA employees to be neutral:

“This neutrality, as UNRWA wants, means attacking the Palestinian national situation. How is it possible for the employee to remain a spectator to the slaughter of his people?” How can he remain neutral? It’s dangerous. The Palestinian employee is a local employee, not an international employee. How can they want him to be neutral, when he is at the mercy of the Palestinian people and lives with their suffering, poverty, misery, and deprivation?”

He went on to add that if the situation is not reversed they would escalate and forcibly prevent Klaus from entering the camp.

IV. UNRWA Caves to Terrorists Demands

UNRWA caved in to the terrorists’ demands. First, it blamed donors for the actions it had taken against al-Sharif, stating “donor countries will not support UNRWA if the administration does not take such measures against him [Al-Sharif] and other employees.” UNRWA explained that it is not enforcing its own neutrality policies because it wants to abide by these rules, but rather that it is being forced to do so in order for states to have cover to appease their own constituencies so that they can continue funding the agency. Next, Lazzarini attempted to further distance UNRWA from the actions against al-Sharif by explaining that “the decision is carried out by the Department of Internal Oversight Services, based on reports about alleged activities carried out by the employee that violate the agency’s regulatory framework.” 

These explanations did not dissuade the terrorist coalition from continuing the protests. Strike leaders argued that similar measures had been imposed on other teachers in the past, including Professors Ahmed Meyari, Ziad Abdel Ghani, and Ahmed Nimr Mustafa in 2023, and Muhammad Khalil Abu Arab in 2022, but these teachers were all ultimately reinstated after widespread protests pressuring UNRWA management. Therefore, they insisted on continuing the pressure campaign with regard to al-Sharif.

Once again the terrorist coalition was able to successfully apply this strategy in the Al-Sharif case. On May 27th, Lazzarini traveled to Beruit where he met with the terrorist leaders in a meeting mediated by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. One of the terrorist leaders who spoke at this meeting was none other than Hamas Lebanon representative Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi who just endorsed Hamas’s October 7 attack. At the meeting, Lazzarini conceded to the terrorist coalition’s demands and reportedly agreed to reinstate al-Sharif in exchange for getting the UNRWA Beirut headquarters reopened. In doing so, Lazzarini contravened his commitment to donors to implement the Colonna Report’s findings and recommendations from just one month earlier.

Will UNRWA’s top officials finally acknowledge that they are not in control of their staff and therefore are unable to implement the Colonna Report as promised? No, instead it appears that the administration is attempting to cover up this story while it continues business as usual.

Also importantly, who really is Fateh al-Sharif and how did he manage to gain the support of terrorist groups and even the Lebanese prime minister? What prompted UNRWA to suspend him in the first place?

V. Examples of Al-Sharif’s connections and support for Hamas and other terrorists

Following are only a few of al-Sharif’s countless public Facebook posts, and pictures of him from Hamas accounts, making it clear why an entire coalition of terrorist groups rallied behind him these past few months, shutting down UNRWA operations in Lebanon.  In his posts, al-Sharif celebrates the October 7th massacre, shares pictures of himself organizing political rallies for his UNRWA students, celebrates the killing of Israelis, states that resistance “by all means” is a “right,” glorifies various terrorists, and encourages teachers to disseminate maps that erase Israel.  In turn, these posts promoting terrorism and the elimination of Israel were liked and shared by numerous other UNRWA employees. However, UNRWA has failed to fire any of these employees who violate the agency’s rules on “neutrality.”

BELOW: October 19, 2023 picture of al-Sharif sitting in front row at a Hamas event among its leadership in Lebanon. In the first picture below, al-Sharif is seen sitting with his arms crossed, as the Hamas chief political officer in Lebanon,  Ahmed Abdul-Hadi, addressed the crowd one week after October 7th, to celebrate the “martyrdom” of three Hamas terrorists — Ahmed Osama Othman and Yahya Nayef Abdel Razek from Ain al-Hilweh camp, and Suhaib Omar Kayed from Wadi al-Zeina — who were killed while attempting to infiltrate from Lebanon into the northern Israeli community of Moshav Margaliot.

“We have very strong relations with Hezbollah. We were cooperating with Hezbollah before the attack on Israel and after and now we are in full cooperation,” Abdul-Hadi told Politico the day before. “They are saying they are geared for a major war.” Asked about the October 7th massacre, Abdul-Hadi recently declared: “If we could go back in time, we would do it again.”

This event was publicized by a Hamas-affiliated news channel that publishes pictures of other Hamas events in the same location featuring children training to be terrorists:

On the same day that this Hamas-linked account showed UNRWA official al-Sharif attending the Hamas event eulogizing the terrorists, it also showed related photos of “Distributing sweets in Wadi Al-Zeina in the joy of our martyr, Saheb Omar Kaid, may Allah have mercy on him.” Hamas was celebrating a local “martyr” from the town, one of three Al Qassam terrorists killed on October 13, 2023 while attempting to infiltrate into Israel from Lebanon near the northern town of Margaliot. The account continued to announce events celebrating the Hamas terrorist, “Our hero martyr, Saheb Omar Kaid,” including a “victory seminar” in honor of the terrorist, the video of which was posted here. The terrorist was also honored at an April 1, 2024 event by the Islamic Association of Palestine Students, a pro-Hamas youth group that was one of many associations mobilized to pressure UNRWA into backing down from requesting al-Sharif’s resignation.

Picture of al-Sharif at a Hamas funeral on December 18, 2021:

January 19, 2024 photo of al-Sharif at another Hamas funeral for Walid Ahmed Hassanein.

Picture of al-Sharif attending a Hamas rally in Al-Bass Camp on October 13, 2023 in support of Hamas’ Oct 7 attack:

Al-Sharif appears in photos among the Hamas organizers of the rally which includes Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Jihad Taha.

On June 24, 2020, top officials from Hamas and other terrorist organizations attended the engagement party of Fateh al-Sharif’s son, Ibrahim Fateh Sharif. 

This is al-Sharif and his two sons embracing Sheikh Haitham Abdul Karim Al-Saadi “Abu Tariq”, deputy emir of the terrorist group Islamic Ansar League.

Here is al-Sharif and his son Ibrahim with Hamas Spokesman, Jihad Taha between them.

Here is al-Sharif with the Public Relations Officer for Hamas in Lebanon Dr. Ayman Shana and Hamas’ UNRWA lobbyist Hajj Abu Hussam Zuaiter.

Here is al-Sharif with Hamas representatives Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi and Ali Baraka. Ali Baraka is a senior Hamas official who oversees the group’s foreign relations. He was one of 8 Hamas officials sanctioned by the US and UK after October 7th for perpetuating the massacre. Baraka has claimed that Hamas has been planning October 7th for two years and has been vocal in his support for the taking of hostages.

On February 1, 2019, top Hamas officials also attended the engagement of Fateh al-Sharif’s other son, Amin Fateh Sharif.  

The Hamas trio of Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi, Jihad Taha, and Abdul Majeed Al-Awad who appear multiple times with al-Sharif have been hosted as the official representatives of Hamas in Lebanon at a series of meetings, including with the Ambassadors of Iran, Russia, Qatar, Turkey, Algeria, Indonesia, Cuba and Venezuela. They have also been hosted by Lebanese officials including the Minister of Labor Mustafa Bayram, and the former prime minister of Lebanon, Hassan Diab. They have also represented Hamas in meetings with the officials of Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya. Finally, they have also been interviewed as Hamas representatives by al-Jazeera and Newsweek where Al-Hadi once stated, “We coordinated with Hezbollah and with Iran before, during, and after this battle at the highest levels” concerning the October 7th attacks.

In at least one meeting with the Russian Ambassador, one with the Venezuelan Ambassador, and another with the terrorist group al-Jamaa al-Islamiya the topic of discussion was how to pressure UNRWA. In one meeting with the Vice-President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, the trio conveyed greetings from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and in another meeting, Al-Hadi relayed a message from Haniyeh to Nasrallah through Hezbollah’s liaison. 

Jihad Taha and Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi have also been involved in UNWRA demonstrations before. On January 23, 2016, both can be seen holding a banner in front of UNRWA headquarters in Beirut protesting changes to UNRWA’s health policies.  

On March 29, 2018 al-Sharif organized an event with Hamas to honor the teachers in the Al-Bass Camp and oppose the Deal of the Century.

Hamas’ political and media relations officer Abdul Majeed Al-Awad told teachers “that this day is the day of insistence on liberating every speck of dirt from Palestine, and our Palestinian people have proven with their blood that we are the legitimate owners of the land, and the occupiers are the alien strangers.” He went on to add that, “we must all stand in one row to confront the deal of the century, stressing that the greatest response to the deal is the return marches, working to unify and strengthen the Palestinian ranks, and agreeing on a unified strategy based on the option of confrontation and resistance.”

In effect, al-Sharif is collaborating with Hamas to ensure teachers are implementing the Hamas philosophy of violent resistance in their classrooms.

June 3, 2023 picture of al-Sharif with Sheikh Haitham Abdul Karim Al-Saadi “Abu Tariq”, deputy emir of the UN-designated terrorist group Islamic Ansar League whom he describes in the post as “my honorable brothers”:

July 2, 2019 post praising Hamas “firm leader” Hassan Youssef:

This post is liked by several UNRWA teachers and his deputy:

June 4, 2024 post honoring “brother” Hamas member Abu Jihad Radwan Deeb. 

Seen below at his funeral adorned with a Hamas headscarf, and in an earlier photo carrying a child with a weapon next to the casket of Hamas terrorist Walid Ahmed Hassanein:

Al-Sharif proudly boasts on Facebook about the many political rallies he organized for his students in UNRWA camps and facilities, including within school grounds. Below is a selection of photos from Al-Sharif’s Facebook page. In one photo, a student is seen holding a Hamas flag:

December 18, 2021 post glorifies three Hamas members who were killed by the PA:

In the post, al-Sharif wishes curses upon the PA while celebrating the Hamas members as “men of importance” and “protector of the book of Allah.”

:

December 17, 2021 post praises Hamas terrorist Hussein Al-Ahmed:

This post was liked by UNRWA teachers:

January 3, 2024 post meeting with the sons of deceased Hamas leaders who “are walking on their [fathers’] path”:

Abu Amer Fendi was the leader of Hamas operations in southern Lebanon and Abu Khaled Al-Khharaz was the deputy commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades in Lebanon.

The above post was liked and commented on by UNRWA teachers:

November 23, 2023 post endorses Hamas’s hostage-taking strategy when by thanking Hamas for freeing convicted terrorist Israa Jaabis who, in 2015, detonated a bomb injuring an Israeli police officer. She was released as part of the November 2023 deal for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

November 26, 2023 post celebrating Hamas’ achievement of setting Palestinian prisoners free in the hostage release deal:

February 16, 2024 post venerates “old union friend” and PFLP member, Muhammad Dheeb Al-Jadoua, as a “father,” “teacher,” and “friend”:

November 21, 2021 post celebrates Hamas terrorist Fadi Abu Shkhidem as a “martyr” after he was killed in the course of committing a terrorist attack in Jerusalem killing one and injuring four others. The text on the photo reads “our blood creates victory,” which is an endorsement of violent terrorism:

March 25, 2021 post commemorating West Bank Hamas leader Omar Barghouti (aka Abu Assif Barghouti) who had just died, while also referring to his son Saleh Barghouti, as a “martyr.” Saleh was a Hamas terrorist who had shot and injured seven Israeli civilians at a bus stop in December 2018, including a pregnant woman whose baby later died:

Posts celebrating October 7th: [1][2][3][4][5]

July 25, 2023 post encourages teachers to disseminate map erasing Israel. Accompanying text laments Israel’s creation which resulted in the area not “remain[ing] Palestine” and hopes for “return”:

March 31, 2024 post calling on the spy that reported him to UNWRA administration to “die in disgust”:

April 6, 2024 post endorsing Hamas, referred to as “the resistance”:

Full translation: “The resistance of our people will certainly be victorious, God willing, despite the failure of those who are negligent and the conspiracy of the conspirators. God is victorious over His command, and victory is only from God.”

As far back as September 21, 2013, al-Sharif had a post celebrating the kidnap and murder of an Israeli soldier in which he says “resistance” by “all means” is “our right”:

May 13, 2018 post calling for a return to Jerusalem through “resistance, liberation, and return”:

February 28, 2015 post endorsing violent resistance, proclaiming that it is not terrorism, it is an honor:

This post was liked by several UNRWA teachers:

One week later on March 6, 2015, al-Sharif reaffirmed his position by stating that “accusing the honorable resistance of terrorism is a disgrace…”

May 2, 2023 post eulogizing Khader Adnan, a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group:

September 6, 2021 posts celebrating the Gilboa Prison break, where six Palestinian prisoners, including the former leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Jenin, escaped from Israeli detention through tunnels. Al-Sharif had five posts supporting this escape.

On September 26, 2022, al-Sharif eulogized Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, a head of the Muslim Brotherhood who is mainly known as the key figure in shaping the concept of violent jihad.

On May 23, 2021, al-Sharif praised his unity with Abu Ali Mustafa, who served as the former General Secretary of the terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

On May 14, 2021 al-Sharif eulogized Mohammed Tahan, a Hezbollah terrorist who was killed attempting to infiltrate Israel to become a martyr. He is described by his family as “consumed by the idea of becoming a martyr — of fulfilling the destiny laid out for him since he was born.” His entire family is affiliated with Hezbollah. About his death, Tahan’s father stated “I wouldn’t expect anything less from him… My children are the same as well. Even my daughter, when she was little, wanted to have a plastic gun, just like her brothers. For us, freeing Palestine is tantamount to an obligatory prayer…We were raised to take the road to Jerusalem.”

To top it all off here is Fateh’s certificate of appreciation from UNRWA for his contribution to “enhancing the school community to guarantee a better future for Palestine refugee children”

The post The Case of Fathi Sharif: Head of UNRWA Teachers Union is Hamas Terror Chief appeared first on UN Watch.

Leadership of the Palestinian Forces Coalition in Lebanon, Islamic Forces, Ansar Allah, Popular Committees, and the People of the Camps

Press Release

To our patient and resilient people in Lebanon,

Through your steadfastness, determination, and commitment to peaceful and civilized escalating protest movements in all regions and camps, you have been able to achieve the goals set in confronting the administration of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to dissuade them from unjust decisions against some of our people’s employees based on their national affiliation.

Following the appreciated efforts made by the Lebanese Prime Minister, Mr. Najib Mikati, with the UNRWA Commissioner-General, Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, which led to an understanding on a mechanism to positively resolve the issue of educator Mr. Fathi Sharif, with a commitment not to pursue any employees based on their national affiliation,

We announce the cessation of all protest movements starting Monday, June 3, 2024, while at the same time emphasizing the need for UNRWA’s administration, through its Commissioner-General, to implement the agreed-upon terms as quickly as possible without procrastination, to avoid any future protest movements, which are a natural and legitimate right of our people to defend our rights and just demands, foremost among them national affiliation and the dignity and job security of employees.

We also extend our thanks to all Lebanese brothers, both officials and national parties, who stood with our just rights and legitimate demands.

Together and united for our just cause

Leadership of the Palestinian Forces Coalition in Lebanon, Islamic Forces, Ansar Allah, Popular Committees, and the People of the Camps

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Sources: Amer Saleh, Lebanon Ministry of Information, Toyourelbared, Palestinian Refugees Portal ,

The announcement of the accord followed the meeting between Lazzarini and the terrorist groups on May 29th, as summarized here and here.

(In honor of the visit of Lazzarini, and at the request of the Lebanese prime minister, the terrorist groups had temporarily suspended their shutdown for the week of his visit, until June 2nd. The above deal with Lazzarini finally ended the protests.) 

The post UNRWA chief in Beirut seals deal with terrorist groups to end Lebanon shutdown over suspension of Hamas-linked union chief appeared first on UN Watch.