(Washington Times) Olga Deutsch - Since freezing UNRWA funding in January, after evidence emerged that the agency's employees participated in the murder and kidnapping of Israeli civilians in the Oct. 7 massacre, the U.S. said it will instead send money to other UN bodies and NGOs in Gaza. This is premature, ignoring the fact that serious problems with terror support, incitement and antisemitism are replicated throughout the entire ecosystem of UN agencies and NGOs active in Gaza and the West Bank. Stronger, broader, long-term action is needed before continuing to fund any organizations in Gaza. UNRWA has partnered with Palestinian NGOs to carry out "advocacy" projects to accuse Israel of "war crimes" and "violations of human rights" and seek condemnations of Israel from international bodies and governments. The biased reports and claims from UNRWA's NGO partners are often cited as "evidence" in UN investigations of Israel. South Africa's submission to the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide - a charge that the U.S. has called "meritless" - contains 45 references to NGO publications and 13 footnotes citing UNRWA. The writer is vice president of NGO Monitor.
2024-02-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive