GOP senators call to defund UNRWA until proven no ties exist to anti-Israel extremism

Republican senators want to withhold taxpayer funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East until the State Department can prove the organization is not connected with Hamas or extremist activity against Israel.

The organization, which has provided food and shelter to millions in Gaza, continues to face growing backlash on Capitol Hill as many Republicans are calling on the U.S. to block its funding.

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The agency has faced scrutiny in the aftermath of the attack after a U.N. Watch report found that staffers “immediately celebrated and justified” the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that ignited the current war. There have also been broader concerns about the curriculum being taught in UNRWA-run schools as it relates to Jews and Israel. An Israeli news outlet recently reported the Israel Defense Forces discovered that sacks from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.N. were being used by Hamas to construct tunnels in Gaza, raising concerns that humanitarian aid may be going directly to the terrorist group.

GOP senators introduced legislation to make funding conditional on the secretary of state submitting a report to Congress verifying UNRWA is not associated with terrorism or antisemitism, as well as overhauling its operations.

The bill, introduced by Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Braun (R-IN), Tim Scott (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and John Barrasso (R-WY), would require the United States to ensure all employees, contractors, and beneficiaries of UNRWA do not have ties to Hamas or any other Palestinian terrorist groups. It would also require the organization to pass an audit ensuring that all educational materials and teachers in UNRWA schools have no association with antisemitism.

The organization would also be required to certify in writing that it recognizes Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and others as terrorist organizations, consistent with designations by the U.S.

“As evidence continues to mount that UNRWA policies and school curricula cultivate anti-Israel extremism and encourages the operations of Hamas terrorists, it is unconscionable that the U.S. continues to fuel terrorism by supporting UNRWA,” Hagerty said in a statement. “Until President Biden’s State Department can certify to Congress that UNRWA has no ties to terrorist organizations and does not encourage anti-Israel terrorism, Congress must put an end to this Administration’s funding of both sides of the Israel-Hamas war.”

The new legislation comes amid a report from Israeli journalist Almog Boker of Channel 13 that one of the hostages held in Gaza since Oct. 7 “was held for almost 50 days in the attic of a house” by a teacher with UNRWA. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is demanding the U.N. launch an investigation on the matter, giving U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield and UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini until Monday to respond to the claims.

UNRWA and the U.N. are demanding that the Israeli journalist provide more information to support the claim.

“Despite repeated demands, the journalist has not responded,” UNRWA said, requesting the reporter to provide an immediate clarification of his claims to help the agency determine the facts.

“In the absence of credible information to support this claim, UNRWA requests that the journalist immediately deletes the post,” the agency continued. “Making serious allegations in the public domain, unsupported by any evidence or verifiable facts in support thereof may amount to misinformation.”

UNRWA declined to provide further comment to the Washington Examiner.

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UNRWA operates 288 schools in the Gaza Strip, according to the U.N. Earlier this week, the organization confirmed one of its schools was destroyed in an explosion captured on video. The video was released days after the IDF said Hamas opened fire on troops from inside a UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun, according to the Times of Israel.

President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve $9 billion in assistance for the world’s humanitarian crises and is also pushing at least $100 million in aid that would come from existing federal funding.