Senate Republicans call US to halt funding “until significant reforms to UNRWA are secured”

Washington – US Sen. James Risch has spearheaded a letter by 20 senators to Secretary of State Antony Blinken “expressing concern” over the Biden administration’s decision to renew funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
In the letter, the senators called the administration to halt the funding “until significant reforms to UNRWA are secured.”
“We are concerned that this administration’s decision to resume US assistance to UNRWA was made in haste, without any actionable attempt to secure much-needed and meaningful reforms of the agency,” they wrote.
“Beyond its inflated and duplicative structure, there are serious concerns about the impartiality of UNRWA.”
“Over the years, the agency has employed individuals affiliated with Hamas, a US-designated terrorist organization,” they wrote, claiming that “UNRWA schools have been used to store Hamas weapons.”
Regarding UNRWA textbooks, the senators also claimed: “There have been numerous cases of UNRWA textbooks including material that is antisemitic, such as encouraging the destruction of the state of Israel and supporting martyrdom and/or violent jihad.”
“It is troubling that these issues regarding the impartiality of UNRWA, including its education system, have yet to be sufficiently addressed despite this administration’s decision to restore US funding.”
“Due to the significance of this issue, we urge you to cease US government assistance to UNRWA unless true reform, as described above, is secured,” the senators concluded.
They called on Blinken to require independent verification that all UNRWA employees and workers of the agency’s partner organizations and contracting entities are not affiliated with Hamas or Hezbollah.
They also urged Blinken to require independent verification that textbooks used by UNRWA do not include “extremist and antisemitic content.”
Their third request was “a policy of automatic suspension of all US assistance to UNRWA if UNRWA facilities are used to house arms/equipment involved in terrorist activity.”
Earlier this month, the United States announced it plans to restart US economic, development, and humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people.
This includes $75 million in economic and development assistance in the West Bank and Gaza, $10 million for peace building programs through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and $150 million in humanitarian assistance for UNRWA, which supports more than 5 million Palestinian refugees.
“The United States is resuming support for UNRWA’s services, including education for over 500,000 Palestinian boys and girls, thereby providing hope and stability in UNRWA’s five fields of operation in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” Blinken said in a statement.
“Funding to UNRWA also provides critical COVID-19 assistance, including healthcare, medicine, and medical supplies, as well as cash and food assistance to families severely impacted by COVID-19.”
Blinken stated that US foreign assistance for the Palestinian people serves important U.S. interests and values.
“It provides critical relief to those in great need, fosters economic development, and supports Israeli-Palestinian understanding, security coordination and stability. It also aligns with the values and interests of our allies and partner,” he said.
In 2018, the Trump administration blocked nearly all aid to Palestinians after it severed ties with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
On January 17, 2018, the US cut more than half its planned funding ($65m out of a $125m aid package) to the UNRWA.
On August 25, 2018, the US cut $200m economic aid to the Palestinians after it had planned to provide $251m for good governance, health, education and funding for civil society in the 2018 budget.
On August 31, 2018, the US State Department said it is stopping all funding to UNRWA after determining the organisation to be an “irredeemably flawed operation”.
On September 9, 2018, the US slashed one of its last remaining aid programmes ($25m in financial assistance) to a network of six hospitals in occupied East Jerusalem.