They Fall, Unlamented But By Other Psychopaths - Israel's Unstoppable Momentum

"[Hamas announced Sharif's death], And guess what was the second job of Mr. Sharif? He was a principal, head of @UNRWA teachers association in Lebanon."

"This case proves that there is a deep problem in @UNRWA, the way they do due diligence about who they are hiring."

Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva

 

"...He was suspended, had no function, was not paid and was under investigation."

"I mean, respecting due process and the principle of rule of law. So the investigation was ongoing." 

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini

Commissioner-General of the U.N. agency for Palestinian Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini speaks during a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, May 27, 2024.

 

The top commander in Lebanon for Hamas was killed in an Israeli air strike on Monday. As it happens, the man was as well, a UN employee who had been placed on administrative leave, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

An air strike by the Israel Defence Airforce on the Al-Buss refugee camp in the southern port city of Tyre a day earlier killed Fatah Sharif. He had in fact been deliberately targeted by the Israeli military. Sharif, whom the UN agency now states had not been forthcoming about his affiliation with the Palestinian terrorist group, was in fact affiliated with Hamas's armed wing.

This revelation serves as yet another "aha!" moment in the wake of Israel's charges that due diligence in hiring by UNRWA to ensure that it was not bringing into its ranks terrorist-affiliated representatives whose presence could obviously bring the UN agency and its work into disrepute, was in fact consistent with its practise. UNRWA authorities could not possibly be ignorant of the fact that some of its employees were involved in terrorism. Even a basic identity search would verify that fact.

Hamas leader and UNRWA teacher Fateh Sherif abu el-Amin speaks at a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, on Mar. 27, 2024 after he was suspended, sparking protests. (Collin Mayfield/Sipa USA)

 

According to Jonathan Fowler, a spokesman for UNRWA, Sharif "was an UNRWA employee who was put on administrative leave without pay in March", that he "was undergoing an investigation following allegations" received by the agency "about his political activities". Soon after the man's demise, a Hamas statement gave praise to Sharif for his outstanding "educational and jihadist work". 

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini explained that he had himself been informed in March of allegations that Sharif had been a "member of the political party of Hamas", deciding to suspend him and launch an investigation into his background "from day one". Given the circumstances, his investigation 'from day one' clearly did not exist, even as he also claimed that he hadn't been aware Sharif might be a Hamas 'commander', until Monday.

The list of names provided to Lazzarini by Israeli authorities to apprise him of the fact that a number of UNRWA locally engaged employees -- some 100 in number -- were suspected of links with Hamas were studied and take "very seriously". So seriously that his inaction in response to having been provided with that information that Israel continued its sharp criticism of UNRWA and its leadership under Lazzarini questionable.

The long-time Swiss diplomat was decried by David Mencer in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as "one of the bad guys, a terrorist sympathizer, a Jew-killing enabler, a liar". It wasn't long afterward before Israel informed Washington of its plans to initiate a limited ground operation in Lebanon; the region a fast-moving powder keg, forcing Israel to protect its interests and its citizens against an avowed enemy whose influence on the terror militias caused the current situation of attack and counter-attack to begin with.