The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), on Monday deleted a tweet that glorified a terrorist leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), after being called out by UN Watch. The agency blamed the scandalous tweet on a “brief, unauthorized access” to its Twitter account.
According to UN Watch, the deleted UNRWA tweet said: Israel Removes Memorial #Akka Honoring Famed Palestinian Writer Ghassan #Kanafani.”
The tweet included a link to an article with the same title, which reads: “Israel removed a memorial statue in the city of Acre this week dedicated to Palestinian intellectual and writer Ghassan Kanafani. The statue was set up in a cemetery by Palestinians in the northern Israeli city to honor the iconic intellectual and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) member.”
Hillel Neuer, head of UN Watch, noted in a press release that ” Palestinian writer” Kanafani was spokesman and right-hand man to arch-terrorist George Habash, the leader of PFLP when it orchestrated the Lod Airport Massacre in 1972, killing 26 and injuring 80.
When it was called by Neuer on its pro-PFLP tweet, UNRWA explained in a new tweet: “There has been a brief, unauthorized access to UNRWA’s twitter account,” promising that “measures are in place to prevent a reoccurrence. UNRWA is in the process of changing the password for its twitter account.”
There has been a brief, unauthorized access to UNRWA’s twitter account. Measures are in place to prevent a reoccurrence. UNRWA is in the process of changing the password for its twitter account.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA)
To which user Gilbert Weinstein responded: “… process of changing the password…”??!? How long does it take to change a password? You’re very bad at lying.”
Incidentally, that same year Kanafani encountered an unfortunate hacking of his own, in Beirut, when he turned on the ignition of his Austin 1100 and detonated a grenade which in turn detonated a 3 kilo plastic bomb planted behind the bumper bar.
“UNRWA receives massive financial and political support from Britain, Germany, Sweden, the EU and Canada, and they each bear responsibility; it’s time for those governments to demand basic accountability,” UN Watch stated in its press release, adding, “We remind UNRWA that support for terrorism constitutes a gross violation of the UN Charter as well as UNRWA’s own internal policies concerning neutrality and impartiality, including with respect to public pronouncements.”
“We’re concerned that today’s tweet reflects systemic radicalism within UNRWA that adversely reflects on the agency’s integrity, independence and impartiality,” UN Watch said.