Bjarni Benediktsson criticized by Left-Green Movement at conference in Reykjanesbær

The decision made by Bjarni Benediktsson, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Prime Minister of Iceland, to freeze payments to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been condemned by the Left-Green Movement party. This condemnation took place during a party conference held in Reykjanesbær.

The resolution passed at the conference criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza over recent months and called for a permanent peace. It also denounced the actions of Western nations as disgraceful, claiming that all attempts by the United Nations to establish peace have been undermined by the U.S. government. The resolution further accused the Israeli government of launching a smear campaign against the UN and UNRWA following a ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague in January, which suggested that Israel might be committing genocide in Palestine.

The conference particularly criticized Benediktsson’s prior stance, stating: “The party conference condemns the decision of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs to support Israel’s assault on humanitarian aid in Gaza by announcing a freeze on contributions to UNRWA.” This decision to freeze payments was made in January after allegations arose that a small group of UNRWA staff had assisted Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7.

However, payments were resumed in March, and additional funding was announced for the agency during the summer, which party members welcomed in their resolution.