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The UNRWA Funding Anomaly

(Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs) Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch - The continued funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) by the U.S. and European countries serves as an obstacle to achieving a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is mounting evidence of UNRWA's infiltration by Palestinian terrorist organizations and its contribution to the radicalization of the "Palestinian refugees." Based on UNRWA's annual financial reports, 64% of UNRWA's funding came from European countries, 26% came from the U.S., and only 10% was sourced in Arab countries. The Palestinian leadership sees the continued financial support for UNRWA as an expression of U.S. and European acceptance of their political stance. During President Trump's first term, his administration halted all U.S. funding to the agency. During the Biden administration, the number of UNRWA refugees grew by 346,130 people. If the U.S. and European countries are genuinely committed to a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and since it is unreasonable that Israel will ever agree to commit "national suicide" and acquiesce to Palestinian demands, the Western countries must reconsider their approach to endlessly funding UNRWA, thereby fundamentally undermining any real potential of achieving their goal of peace. The writer, Director of the Palestinian Authority Accountability Initiative at the Jerusalem Center, was director of the Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria.
2024-11-21 00:00:00
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