The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), tasked with aiding Palestinian refugees, has reportedly sheltered individuals with intentions against Israel. The Biden administration has allocated over $730 million to the agency.
This decision to renew funding by President Joe Biden contrasts a 2021 State Department document that claimed the agency permitted Hamas militants to construct tunnels beneath its educational institutions and store arms close to other buildings, as stated by the New York Post.
Rich Goldberg, a senior adviser at FDD, mentioned to the Post that UNRWA offers a monetary aid program. He pointed out that the UN doesn’t label Hamas as a terror organization and doesn’t set political conditions on global aid.
In 2018, the Trump administration halted the financial support to UNRWA. However, under Biden, this decision was overturned, making the U.S. the primary contributor to the agency.
Enia Krivine, who leads the Israel Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), expressed to the Post that UNRWA indirectly facilitates aggressions against Israelis. Krivine emphasized that the U.S. should reevaluate its contributions immediately. She indicated that the Hamas members involved in recent attacks against Israelis had backgrounds in UNRWA camps.
According to Krivine, while most refugee programs aim to resettle and reintegrate refugees, UNRWA seems to prolong the refugee issue. Krivine also remarked on the agency’s educational content, which reportedly carries anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives. She voiced concerns about the continuous funding by the U.S. and European countries.
Furthermore, Krivine added that UNRWA premises have been implicated in malicious activities, including the discovery of terroristic tunnels beneath their facilities and the employment of registered Hamas individuals.
The State Department revealed earlier this year that since April 2021, it has directed over $890 million towards Palestinian causes, with a significant chunk of over $730 million directed at UNRWA. Both the State Department and the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs have not given any feedback on the matter, as per the Post’s information.
