Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), including its continued ties to terrorism. In response to the hearing, Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Chief of Staff Arthur Maserjian issued the following statement:
“Today’s hearing only confirmed what we have known for a long time, that UNRWA will never be a partner who can be trusted to live up to its purpose of serving the welfare of the Palestinian people. It is now abundantly clear to all that funding UNWRA means funding terrorism, and this runs counter to America’s national principles and interests. This is why we have seen bipartisan outcry in the wake of evidence showing 12 UNRWA employees were directly involved in the barbaric Hamas attacks on October 7th, as well as the revelation that 1,200 UNRWA employees, 10% of its total workforce, are linked to terrorism. The United States and its allies must cut funding for UNRWA completely and permanently and find alternative mechanisms to meet the humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians without undermining the security of Israelis.”
Speakers at Tuesday’s hearing included: Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Marcus Sheff, Chief Executive Officer of IMPACT-se; Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch; and Mara Rudman, Schlesinger Professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.
Scheff asked, “What is UNRWA offering the next generation of Palestinians? Poisonous textbooks taught too often by hate-filled teachers. This is UNRWA’s educational program. Quite simply, it is not fit for purpose.”
“UNRWA can play no further part in Palestinian education,” he emphasized.
Watch the full recording of the hearing here:
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