A United Nations agency involved in terrorism

What is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)?

UNRWA has a humanitarian organization whose mandate is to provide assistance and protection to Palestine refugees until such time as a permanent solution to the Palestinians’ plight is reached. UNRWA derives its mandate from the UN General Assembly. The United Nations itself is the parent organization of UNRWA.

We may not be too familiar with UNRWA but we all have a stake in it, albeit indirectly. This is because civil society’s taxes fund UNRWA’s operations. According to its official website, 89 percent of the organization’s $1.17-billion annual funding is derived from UN member-states and donor governments. The funds are used to finance education, health care, social relief and infrastructure projects for Palestinian refugees.

But something disturbing has been uncovered about UNRWA’s operations.

During the barbaric attacks waged by Hamas on the Jewish people last Oct. 7, it has become known that UNRWA employees were involved in the siege. They helped in the murder of 1,200 Israelis, participated in the rape and torture of scores and aided in the abduction of 240 hostages.

Evidently, Hamas has infiltrated what is supposed to be a neutral, humanitarian organization. Experts say that more than 12 percent of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees stationed in Gaza are either Hamas terrorists or members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Alarmingly, over 50 percent of its staff have family members belonging to a terror group.

This beings to question the very purpose of UNRWA under the leadership of Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini. Is UNRWA still a humanitarian organization or a proxy terror group masquerading as a philanthropic body? Do they exist to ease the plight of the Palestinians or are they aiding the terrorist in jihad towards eliminating the Jewish people? Are they promoting peace or are they breeding the next generation of terrorist with their anti-Semitic school curriculum?

Unfortunately, our worst fears about UNRWA’s operations have been confirmed.

In the schoolbooks provided by UNRWA, you will find narratives celebrating Dallal Mughrabi, a confirmed terrorist who murdered 38 Israelis… You will find the geographic map of Israel overlaid with the Palestinian flag… You will find illustrations of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem with the caption identifying it as part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. UNRWA has no business pushing these narratives to children unless it is with the intention to indoctrinate them.

In infrastructure development, UNRWA bears the cost of basic infrastructure to free up funds for Hamas to build their terror tunnels (Gaza is governed by Hamas and collects taxes from the people). The tunnels are meant not to serve as safety shelters for the Palestinians, but rather as subterranean corridors for Hamas during combat.

Perhaps the most disturbing discovery is the fact that UNRWA’s facilities were used to assist Hamas during the Oct. 7 attacks and continue to be used today as the war is fought. Just three weeks ago, it was learned that a one-kilometer tunnel built underneath UNRWA’s buildings serves as Hamas’ IT center. Its cables lead directly to the UNRWA’s headquarters where its mainframe and servers are housed.

It was also discovered that UNRWA’s facilitates are used as storage depots for Hamas’ weapons and munitions. These depots are where rockets directed at Israel are launched. We are talking about school buildings, health care centers and office buildings supposedly used for diplomatic purposes.

Moreover, UNRWA’s supplies meant for humanitarian aid are diverted to the terror effort. While terrorists are provided a virtual bottomless supply of food, drinking water and medicines, Palestinian civilians are made to survive with the barest minimum.

What now?

It is clear that UNRWA’s operations in Gaza, under the leadership of Lazzarini, serve the agenda of Hamas at the expense of the Palestinian people and at the expense of peace. Such a blatant betrayal of UNRWA’s mandate calls for his immediate termination. At the very least, Lazzarini must be made to explain why humanitarian facilities are used for terrorist purposes. He must be made to answer for the anti-Semitic school curriculum.

An independent investigative commission must be established by the United Nations to determine the extent of UNRWA’s involvement in terrorist activities, how the organization was corrupted and why UNRWA’s rogue activities were left undetected all these years. It’s important that the United Nations determine the origin and extent of corruption if only to avoid the same from happening in other UN agencies.

UNWRA’s biggest donor countries from the European Union, Japan, Australia and the United States must stop the flow of funds until a thorough investigation is completed. To continue funding the organization, at this juncture, is akin to funding terrorist activities.

The United Nations must find alternative ways to deliver food, drinking water, medical care and fuel to the Palestinians displaced by war. Because amid the UNRWA’s rogue operations, the Palestinian people continue to suffer.

Bloody as the war has become with more than 30,000 casualties, we must not forget that all these are a result of Hamas’ unprovoked attacks on Israel and its continued declaration that it will do the same over and over again until the Jews are obliterated.

Israel is fighting for its life and its survival, as it has every right to. Yes, the death toll is high and our hearts go out to the innocent civilians killed – but this is on the shoulders of Hamas, not on Israel. The war can end today if Hamas releases the remaining 130 hostages and lays down its arms. Hamas can stop the carnage if it wanted to.

As a humanitarian organization, UNRWA must be doing all it can to ease the plight of the Palestinian victims and persuade Hamas to end the carnage. It should not be enabling them to forge ahead.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan