The US must stop funding terror-affiliated groups like UNRWA - opinion

• Published date: 11 March 2024
• Author: EJ KIMBALL
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

A large swath of these funds have gone toward NGOs and other organizations aimed at assisting Palestinian refugees. However, much of this American "aid" has inadvertently supported ideologies that are fundamentally opposed to American values like democracy and human rights, directly and indirectly fueling violence against Israel and the United States

This can't continue.

Humanitarian aid is noble. Funding violence against ourselves and our allies is not.

UNRWA and Hamas

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a case in point. The agency was initially established in 1949 to support the welfare of Arab refugees who left or fled their homes during Israel's War of Independence following the vote in favor of the UN Partition Plan in 1947. However, today UNRWA workers not only have ties to Hamas, but a growing number of them have been shown to have actively participated in the October 7 massacre in Israel.

This revelation underscores the need for better oversight of US taxpayer dollars provided to the UN and other international and NGO sources when supporting refugee organizations in the Middle East. This is especially true for the areas of Gaza and the West Bank – regions controlled and run by corrupt, depraved, authoritarian jihadists.Any future funding intended to support the Palestinian people requires a significant increase in transparency and accountability to justify the use of US taxpayer dollars. It is also imperative that the vetting of aid workers must align with the standards of US contracting, ensuring that funds are withheld from any entity failing to meet these criteria. Adopting a zero-tolerance policy is critical to guaranteeing that our aid contributes to solving problems rather than creating them.

While similar controversies have received prior attention, October 7 put the mainstream spotlight on them. The alarming revelation that some of UNRWA's employees participated in the massacre, not to mention the prior revelation of the storage of missiles and other terrorist weaponry in vacant UNRWA schools, deteriorates the trust of international donors and endangers innocent lives. As a result of this discovery, many nations, including the United States, have withdrawn funding.

Additionally, a report by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) and UN Watch revealed that UNRWA-produced educational materials and activities glorify warfare and...