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How US donations to UN Palestinian relief agency could be used by Hamas

Oct 18, 2023

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Iran is the biggest financial supporter of Hamas, but U.S. taxpayer money could potentially be going to the terrorist group as well. According to an analysis of some United Nation funds being sent into Gaza, there is a distinct possibility that some U.S. funding could be going to Hamas.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is a relief fund that provides support and protection to Palestinian refugees.

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The UNRWA receives contributions every year from partnering U.N. countries, and the United States was the top donor in 2021, donating $338.4 million, and 2022, donating $343.9 million.

This year, the U.S. is again outpacing other countries by $206.8 million worth of donations.

According to the UNRWA’s donation disclosures, the Biden administration has given over $900 million to the Palestinian refugee agency, and as part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, $33 million of COVID-19 relief fund money was also given to UNRWA.

According to Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, 38% of UNRWA money is spent in Gaza.

Goldberg said over the past three years, nearly $1 billion has come from the U.S., and $350 million of that is going directly to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Opposite of Biden, the Trump administration stopped funding the UNRWA in August 2018. The administration called it an “irredeemably flawed operation,” and gave no donations at all in 2019 and 2020.

In 2021, before the Biden administration resumed its donations, the State Department warned that the money could end up funding terrorist groups such as Hamas.

“We assess there is a high risk Hamas could potentially derive indirect, unintentional benefit from U.S. assistance to Gaza,” a State Department memo said.

The United Nations does not allow terrorist groups to receive any financial support. ISIS and Al-Qaida are sanctioned and cut off from receiving assistance. However, the U.N. does not classify Hamas or Hezbollah as “terrorist organizations.”

While the U.S. does consider Hamas a terror group, the U.N. is still in control of where the money donations from UNRWA go.

UNRWA released a statement following the latest installment of over $150 million in U.S. money.

To us, this is a sign of trust and a trait of good donorship that we encourage other partners to follow.

UNRWA statement

“By providing UNRWA flexibility in how it utilizes U.S. funding, the U.S. also gives the Agency the means to prioritize spending where it is most needed, helping us address the Agency’s ongoing financial challenges,” the statement says. “To us, this is a sign of trust and a trait of good donorship that we encourage other partners to follow.”

The UNRWA has been heavily criticized in recent years. The U.N. Watch, a human rights organization monitoring the performance of the U.N., said the Palestinian refugee agency employs educators who “regularly call to murder Jews,” “glori[fy] terrorism” and “incit[e] antisemitism.”

On Monday, Oct. 16, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told the Daily Mail that in order to stop the money from reaching Hamas in Gaza, the U.N. needs to formally classify Hamas as a terror group.

We must always take a side when it comes to good versus evil and we will never stop calling out the shameful anti-Israel bias at the U.N.

Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

“It should be easy to condemn a bloodthirsty organization that kills babies, rapes women and burns whole families, yet the U.N. still refuses to call Hamas what they are — terrorists,” Haley said. “We must always take a side when it comes to good versus evil and we will never stop calling out the shameful anti-Israel bias at the U.N.”

In 2018, Haley introduced a resolution at the U.N. that would have designated Hamas as a terror organization. Only the U.S. backed the motion, and the resolution failed.

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WE KNOW IRAN IS THE BIGGEST FINANCIAL BACKER OF HAMAS.

BUT COULD U.S. TAXPAYER DOLLARS BE FUNNELING INTO THE GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS IN THE ATTACK ON ISRAEL?

 

ACCORDING TO ONE ANALYSIS OF UNITED NATIONS FUNDS SENT INTO GAZA –

IT IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY – TO THE TUNE OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF U.S. DOLLARS.

 

THE U-N HAS A RELIEF FUND FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT AND PROTECTIONS FOR PALESTINIANS – THE U-N-R-W-A.

THE RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY RECEIVES CONTRIBUTIONS EVERY YEAR FROM PARTNERING U-N COUNTRIES – 

THE U.S. IS LISTED AS THE TOP DONOR IN BOTH 20-22 AND 20-21 

AND IS OUTPACING OTHER COUNTRIES THIS YEAR WITH ANOTHER 200 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF DONATIONS.

ACCORDING TO THE U-N-R-W-A’S DONATION DISCLOSURES –

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS GIVEN NEARLY 900 MILLION DOLLARS TO THE PALESTINIAN REFUGEE AGENCY.

AS PART OF PRESIDENT BIDEN’S “AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT” – 33 MILLION DOLLARS OF COVID RELIEF MONEY WAS ALSO GIVEN TO U-N-R-W-A.

 

RICHARD GOLDBERG IS A SENIOR ADVISOR AT THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES.

ACCORDING TO GOLDBERG – 38 PERCENT OF U-N-R-W-A MONEY IS SPENT IN GAZA.

WITH NEARLY A BILLION DOLLARS COMING FROM THE U.S. OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS –

THE PORTION GOING DIRECTLY INTO THE HAMAS-RULED GAZA STRIP – IS 350 MILLION DOLLARS.

WHILE BIDEN’S ADMIN INCREASED FUNDING –

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STOPPED FUNDING THE U-N-R-W-A IN AUGUST OF 20-18, CALLING IT AN “IRREDEEMABLY FLAWED OPERATION”–

GIVING ZERO DOLLARS TO THE U-N-R-W-A IN 2019 AND 2020.

IN 2021 –

BEFORE THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RESUMED ITS DONATIONS –

THE STATE DEPARTMENT WARNED THE MONEY COULD END UP FUNDING TERRORIST GROUPS LIKE HAMAS.

 

THE STATE MEMO READ “WE ASSESS THERE IS A HIGH RISK HAMAS COULD POTENTIALLY DERIVE INDIRECT, UNINTENTIONAL BENEFIT FROM U.S. ASSISTANCE TO GAZA.”

 

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT ALLOW TERRORIST GROUPS TO RECEIVE ANY FINANCIAL SUPPORT.

ISIS.

AL QAEDA.

ARE SANCTIONED AND CUT OFF FROM RECEIVING ASSISTANCE.

BUT THE U-N DOES **NOT CLASSIFY HAMAS OR HEZBOLLAH AS “TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS.”

WHILE THE U.S. DOES CONSIDER THEM A TERROR GROUP –

THE U.N. CONTROLS WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF U.S. U-N-R-W-A DONATIONS.

AFTER THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF MORE THAN 150 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS – THE AGENCY SAID QUOTE –

 

“By providing UNRWA flexibility in how it utilizes U.S. funding, the U.S. also gives the Agency the means to prioritize spending where it is most needed, helping us address the Agency’s ongoing financial challenges. 

To us, this is a sign of trust and a trait of good donorship that we encourage other partners to follow.”

 

THE U-N-R-W-A HAS BEEN HEAVILY CRITICIZED IN RECENT YEARS.

THE “U-N WATCH” WHICH IS A HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION MONITORING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE U-N –

SAYS THE PALESTINIAN REFUGEE AGENCY EMPLOYS EDUCATORS WHO “REGULARLY CALL TO MURDER JEWS” – “GLORIFIES TERRORISM” –

AND “INCITES ANTISEMITISM.”

 

ON MONDAY – FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. – NIKKI HALEY –

TOLD “THE DAILY MAIL” THE WAY TO STOP THE MONEY FROM REACHING HAMAS IN GAZA –

IS FOR THE U.N. TO FORMALLY CLASSIFY HAMAS AS A TERROR GROUP.

 

QUOTE “IT SHOULD BE EASY TO CONDEMN A BLOODTHIRSTY ORGANIZATION THAT KILLS BABIES, RAPES WOMEN, AND BURNS WHOLE FAMILIES. YET, THE UN STILL REFUSES TO CALL HAMAS WHAT THEY ARE – TERRORISTS.

“WE MUST ALWAYS TAKE A SIDE WHEN IT COMES TO GOOD VERSUS EVIL AND WE WILL NEVER STOP CALLING OUT THE SHAMEFUL ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS AT THE U-N.”

 

IN 20-18 –

HALEY INTRODUCED A RESOLUTION AT THE U.N. THAT WOULD HAVE DESIGNATED HAMAS AS A TERROR  ORGANIZATION.

THAT RESOLUTION FAILED.

THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT BACKED THE MOTION – WAS THE U.S.