An UNRWA office in Saida, South Lebanon. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) dismissed four Palestinian teachers in Lebanon over alleged violations of the agency’s humanitarian principles, following social media posts related to the war in Gaza, some of which expressed support for Hamas and the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The Palestinian Information Center reported that those dismissed on June 23 are: Hassan al-Sayyid, principal of Al-Quds School in Beirut; Ibrahim Marai, principal of Hatin School in Saida; Maher Tawieh, a teacher at Amqa Secondary School in the Nahr al-Bared camp; and Osama al-Ali, a teacher at Nazareth Secondary School in the Beddawi camp. All had been suspended since November 2023, according to the outlet.
Some of their posts were flagged by U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based pro-Israeli NGO founded by former U.S. Ambassador Morris Abram. The organization, which monitors alleged anti-Israel bias in U.N. institutions, attributed posts to Sayyid in which he described the Oct. 7 Hamas attack as one of “honor and bravery,” calling the attackers “heroes and knights.” Marai reportedly praised former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran in July 2024, and Fateh Charif Amin, Hamas’ chief in Lebanon and a former UNRWA teacher, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in September 2024. Tawieh is said to have published tributes to Amine, while Ali reportedly posted tributes to both Haniyeh and former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, also killed by Israel in September.
Teachers’ association pushes back
On June 25, the Association of Palestinian Teachers in Lebanon condemned the dismissals, calling them politically motivated and a violation of freedom of expression. In a statement, the group said the firings were based on the teachers’ “national affiliation” and “expression of support for just causes.” It accused UNRWA of weaponizing its neutrality policy “as a means of repression” and warned that the move set “a dangerous precedent.”
The association called on UNRWA to reverse what it described as an “unjust and malicious” decision that pressured Palestinian employees to distance themselves from their national cause.
UNRWA confirms decision after internal investigation
Reached for comment, UNRWA confirmed the dismissals, stating they were the result of violations of the agency’s core humanitarian principles — neutrality, impartiality and independence — as well as “other instances of professional misconduct.” The decision, the agency said, followed an “in-depth, impartial, and objective” internal investigation by its oversight department in Amman. Staff were reportedly allowed to respond to the allegations and were informed of the results.
In a statement, UNRWA said that while it respects its employees’ right to express personal, political or national views — including on social media — staff are required to do so in line with the agency’s rules and responsibilities as U.N. personnel. “Advocacy for Gaza’s humanitarian needs or expression of national identity does not, in itself, violate the agency’s policies,” the agency said, “but must be done within the framework of professional conduct.”
UNRWA has been under mounting scrutiny from Israel and the United States since accusations emerged that some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. In September 2024, Fateh Charif Amin — who had been suspended by UNRWA and was later revealed to be Hamas’ top commander in Lebanon — was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
L’Orient-Le Jour contacted Sayyid, who also heads the Association of UNRWA Teachers. He shared a video message echoing the association’s June 25 statement, denouncing what he described as an unjust decision by the agency.
