(Heritage Foundation) Brett D. Schaefer and James Phillips - The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established more than 60 years ago as a temporary initiative to address the needs of Palestinian refugees and to facilitate their resettlement and/or repatriation. It has become a permanent institution providing services to multiple generations of Palestinians, of whom a large majority live outside refugee camps, enjoy citizenship in other countries, or reside in Palestinian-governed territories. The reality is that UNRWA obstructs its original mission of resolving the Palestinian refugee problem. Worse, by encouraging the Palestinian fixation on their "right to return" to Israel, UNRWA impedes negotiations for a permanent peace agreement. The U.S. should encourage reform and replacement of UNRWA to facilitate its original purpose: ending the refugee status of Palestinians and facilitating their integration as citizens of their host states, where most were born and raised. The authors are fellows at the Heritage Foundation.
2015-03-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive