The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has some explaining to do. Days ago, Hamas terror tunnels were discovered underneath two schools run by the U.N. relief agency. That speaks volumes about the abject evil of Israel’s Islamist enemies.
Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, fired off a letter of protest Friday to Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Below is brief excerpt:
“The discovery of this terror tunnel, operating directly under the classrooms of young children, is not an isolated incident, but rather the latest of deeply concerning attempts by Hamas terrorists to systematically exploit the organs of the U.N. . . . The latest finding verifies once again that Hamas’s cruelty knows no limits, including endangering centers of learning and education, and using children as human shields.”
Remember this the next time you hear biased media reports about Israel firing on hospitals or schools. While Israel goes out of its way to avoid civilian casualties, Israel’s enemies go out of their way to cause civilian death and suffering. Israel’s actions in self-defense are justified. The jihadists’ use of human shields are war crimes.
For its part, UNRWA is pleading ignorance and condemningHamas. Unfortunately, there is a long history of anti-Israel bias at UNRWA. For example, earlier this year, UNRWA schools were caught using textbooks filled with anti-Semitic material.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his frustration with the Palestinian relief agency at his weekly cabinet meeting yesterday, and called for it to be disbanded. “I regret that UNRWA, to a large degree, by its very existence, perpetuates — and does not solve — the Palestinian refugee problem,” Netanyahu said. “Therefore, the time has come to disband UNRWA.”
The United States is the largest contributor to UNRWA, donating at least a quarter of its budget last year. Christians United For Israel Action Fund applauds the Trump Administration for demanding serious reform at the U.N. We urge members of Congress to exercise their oversight authority.
Gary Bauer
CUFI Action Fund