(Wall Street Journal Europe) Asaf Romirowsky and Alexander H. Joffe - In all Arab states except for Jordan, legal restrictions prevent Palestinians from leading normal lives, forcing them instead to remain, as they have for over 60 years, dependent on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The organization meant to help the Palestinians is also a major obstacle to their well-being and peace with Israel. UNRWA facilities are hotbeds of anti-Israeli, anti-Western and anti-Semitic indoctrination, and according to the Palestinian Press Agency, Hamas has stored weapons in tunnels dug beneath UNRWA schools. Its staffers intimidate anyone from taking a stand in favor of peaceful coexistence with Israel. This helps explain why the Canadian government announced last year that it would defund UNRWA and divert taxpayer monies to specific projects to help Palestinians. The U.S. is the largest Western investor in UNRWA, providing a third of its total budget. Americans and Europeans alike would do well to follow Canada's example and use tax money to promote independent Palestinian organizations and private-sector growth instead.
2011-04-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive