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Give the PA - Not the UN - Responsibility for Palestinians
(New Republic) Alexander Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky - After we called to defund UNRWA, Matthew Reynolds, the UNRWA Representative in the U.S., responded with criticism. When we observed that UNRWA's union in Gaza is dominated by Hamas members, who won 25 out of 27 seats in a 2012 election, he said all UNRWA workers are subject to thorough vetting. This vetting is done under a terrorist screening list meant to ensure that no known members of al-Qaeda join the organization. A 2010 Congressional Research Service report notes that the "list does not include Hamas, Hizbullah, or most other militant groups that operate in UNRWA's surroundings." Our substantive proposal is that Western donors should reprogram monies from UNRWA to the Palestinian Authority, in order to strengthen the latter in Gaza. Let the putative Palestinian state take responsibility for its own people.