Republican lawmakers repeatedly equated support employees with Hamas terrorists throughout a heated listening to Tuesday as they known as for the U.S. authorities to completely cease funding the United Nations company answerable for serving to Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
Final week, the U.S. and greater than a dozen different international locations paused support to the United Nations Reduction and Works Company for Palestine Refugees within the Close to East (UNRWA), the most important support group in war-torn Gaza. The sanctions got here in response to an intelligence report from Israel alleging that 12 of UNRWA’s roughly 13,000 staff have been concerned Hamas’ lethal Oct. 7 assault on Israel. The Wall Road Journal reported final week that some 10% of the group’s staffers have ties to Islamist militant teams, citing intelligence paperwork.
“The United Nations aid employees company is a terrorist-supporting entity, women and gents,” Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) mentioned at Tuesday’s Home International Affairs committee listening to.
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) known as UNRWA, the first supply of humanitarian support to thousands and thousands of individuals in Gaza, the “an identical twin” of Hamas.
With out proof, Rep. Wealthy McCormick (R-Ga.) claimed that Hamas was much more deeply embedded in UNRWA than Israeli intelligence prompt.
Alex Wong through Getty Pictures
“These 12 staff are simply the tip of the iceberg whenever you speak about probably 1000’s of staff’ loyalty to Hamas and antisemitic and anti-American pursuits,” he mentioned.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) pointed to an absence of Hamas mentions on UNRWA’s social media pages as proof of the company’s complicity.
“It’s clear that UNRWA would by no means use its platform to talk out in opposition to Hamas, as a result of it’s in cahoots with Hamas,” he claimed.
JS reached out to UNRWA for remark Tuesday night and has but to listen to again.
The company confirmed final week that it had ended “a number of” staff’ contracts following Israel’s stories and that it had ordered its personal investigation into the matter. However its commissioner common, Philippe Lazzarini, mentioned over the weekend that the choice to halt funding is unconscionable.
“It will be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Company and a whole group it serves due to allegations of legal acts in opposition to some people, particularly at a time of conflict, displacement and political crises within the area,” he said.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) echoed these sentiments at Tuesday’s listening to.
“The horrifying and inexcusable actions of roughly a dozen individuals mustn’t converse for the over 13,000 UNRWA staff in Gaza,” he mentioned.
Your entire inhabitants of Gaza is at the moment going through famine except Israel restores entry to meals, clear water, sanitation and different necessities, the World Meals Program warned final month.
“Humanitarian support and battle zones should proceed. And it’s tough underneath one of the best of circumstances. And we all know that situations in Gaza are removed from that,” Crow continued.
Republicans argued on the listening to that different companies, such because the U.N. Excessive Fee for Refugees and the World Meals Program, might tackle the work of UNRWA, which has been delivering support within the Palestinian territories since 1949.
However aid consultants say that’s an unreasonable proposal. Anticipating different support teams to fill within the gaps left by UNRWA is “magical considering,” Janti Soeripto, president and CEO of Save the Kids, told JS on Monday.
The newest battle within the area erupted when Hamas killed about 1,200 Israelis in an assault in October. Israel launched an offensive in response, and greater than 26,000 individuals in Gaza have been killed within the ensuing conflict.
