Supporting Terrorism Through Palestinian Refugee Status: UNRWA

"Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has privately assured the UN Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, that the United States, which provides more than $300 million to the agency each year, will maintain its current levels of funding to the organization."
"America has long been committed to funding UNRWA’s important mission, and that will continue", [said one official at the U.S. mission to the United Nations]."
"[The US pledge runs] contrary to the administration’s push to rein in spending on UN relief programs elsewhere. It reflects growing concern that the imposition of sharp cuts to Palestinian relief programs could thwart the White House campaign to restart Middle East peace talks, and inject further political instability in a region that stands permanently perched on the brink of political upheaval."
Foreign Policy

"The Israelis are stuck in a position where the only thing worse than supporting UNRWA is not supporting UNRWA and having total chaos in the West Bank or Gaza."
Ilan Goldenberg, former U.S. State Department official

Israel has frequently highlighted the promotion of anti-Israel propaganda in UNRWA-run schools. Photo: SWU.

Both the West Bank and Gaza are in a fairly permanent state of dysfunction; as close to chaos as it is possible to get without complete and utter collapse. The Palestinian Authority is dependent on Israel for its continued ability to administer West Bank affairs such as they do, effectively protecting the Fatah-led PA and its president, Mahmoud Abbas, from Hamas-spurred assassination. There is no freedom in either the West Bank or Gaza, but corruption reigns supreme. Unemployment is rife, opportunities are absent. There is dire poverty alongside sumptuous wealth.

And there is never-ending agitation for violence against Israeli interests and the presence of Jews in the Middle East. Palestinians live in security and with aspirational opportunities as citizens in the State of Israel, yet the Palestinian Authority and Hamas in Gaza plot to disable the country through ongoing physical violence in Israel and slanderous campaigns for delegitimization abroad. The original estimated 750,000 Palestinian 'refugees' that resulted from Israel's rebirth has swelled to six million Palestinians In Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

All considered to be 'refugees' and all under the protective and financial umbrella of the United Nations' Relief and Works Agency, most of whose employees are locals, most of whom are dedicated to the destruction of Israel. UNRWA has looked the other way when educational curricula it funds expands on the 'illegitimate' presence of Israel on Palestinian land, that all the land belongs to the Palestinians. Conventionally, the elite appointees leading UNRWA have been violently opposed to Israel, supportive of Palestinian 'rights'. During conflicts UNRWA has supported violence against Israel.

Recommendations that UNRWA be disbanded and the issue of Palestinians as refugees be taken under the control of the UN agency responsible for all refugees worldwide, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has been rejected for the simple enough reason that Palestinians and Arab states want the Palestinians to be deemed refugees, whereas under UNHCR the offspring of  refugees are not automatically given refugee status. This would effectively disfavour the Palestinians' claims of entitlement to 'return' to Israel for all its millions of 'refugees'.

UNRWA schools in Gaza infamously were used as weapons caches. Alternately, rockets were shot off from the UNRWA schools as well as other munitions toward Israel and Israeli troops during conflicts between Hamas and the IDF, effectively making human shields of the population, and when the IDF returned fire to the source of the attack and people were killed or injured, their deaths became propaganda tools accusing Israel of killing innocent civilians. More recently a Hamas terrorist tunnel was found under a Gaza UNRWA school.

Above: In April, UN Watch released a new report at the Canadian Parliament, examining the Canadian government’s pledge to ensure “enhanced due diligence” on UNRWA as a condition of renewed funding. The report reveals dozens of cases of UNRWA teachers inciting jihadist terrorism and anti-Semitism online. Read: Report

The Undersecretary of State for political affairs for the U.S. has solicited Canada, the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to provide additional funding adding up to over $100-million to respond to a  shortfall in UNRWA funding. Canada has responded by pledging another $25-million in support of the agency, despite being reminded that UNRWA schools have been helping to normalize anti-Semitism.

"Helping impoverished Palestinians in various Arab countries is certainly a positive, as many individuals do require assistance [however], UNWRA continues to facilitate antisemitism and the demonization of Israel. UNWRA’s highly-politicized environment actually obstructs the best possible service to the Palestinians", cautioned Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of B’nai Brith Canada.

The Palestinian refugee agency has identified a gap in the financing it requires of over $126-million for the 2017 year, warning its finances will run bare by September, leading it to the misfortune of cutting programs scheduled for vaccines, diabetes medication and sanitation. Regardless UNRWA is proceeding with its plans to open its schools for the new academic year, while insisting it will be unable to keep them open without additional funds.

No one appears to be holding the Palestinian Authority to account for the millions it sets aside in its budget for rewarding the families of suicide bombers, however.