Do not “Dismantle” UNRWA, which cannot be done. Reform UNRWA ​Policies, which can be done

Virtually every media ​outlet ​took the UNRWA condemnation of the Hamas tunnels found under an UNRWA school at its word. Yet no media outlet reminded the world ​that the ​UNRWA school teachers union and the UNRWA workers union of Gaza have been under the tight control of Hamas since 1999, without a word of disapproval from UNRWA​.

The statement by the Prime Minister of Israel that UNRWA should be ​”​dismantled​”​ indicates that the Israeli government ​​hold​s​ UNRWA responsible for the Hamas terror tunnel.

Timing of this discovery is important, just before Hamas will conduct its annual summer military training camp to train upwards of 50,000 UNRWA students , age 9-15, in the ​use of live weaponry.

However, i​t is not within Israel’s power to ​”dismantle” UNRWA.

​Unrwa operates under the mandate of UNGA, United Nations General Assembly.

Only UNGA can “dismantle” UNRWA.
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And if Israel​i​ and ​Western democratic nations were to cut funds to UNRWA, two scenarios ​would likely​ occur​:

1. ​The radical Islamic state of ​Qatar, which has established a ​​presence in Gaza and in Judea/Samaria​, would ​likely step in to replace any income lost from ​West​ern cuts to UNRWA​.
2. Saudi Arabia, which recently increased its funding of UNRWA to become the number three UNRWA donor, would ​likely ​increase its contribution to UNRWA.

If Qatar and Saudi Arabia ​became the largest donors to ​UNRWA, no leverage could be brought against UNRWA to cease connections with Hamas or other terror groups.

What , then, ​can the ​Israeli government do to ameliorate UNRWA?

Jerusalem could ​demand that UNRWA donors condition funds to UNRWA on reforms of UNRWA, in six areas:

1. Ask for an audit of donor funds given to UNRWA. This would address widespread documented reports of wasted resources, duplicity of services and the undesired flow of cash to Gaza-based terror groups, which have gained control over UNRWA operations there for the past 18 years.
2. Introduce UNHCR standards to UNRWA, to advance the resettlement of Arab refugees after 6​8 years​ of their relegation to refugee camp existance. ​​​Current UNRWA policy is that any refugee resettlement would interfere with the “right of return” to Arab villages that existed before 1948.
3. Cancel the UNRWA curriculum, based on Jihad, martyrdom and the “right of return” by force of arms.
4. Cease paramilitary training in all UNRWA schools. ​​Should UNRWA, as a UN agency, not demonstrate a renewed commitment to UN principles to “peace education”?
5. Insist that UNRWA dismiss employees affiliated with Hamas, in accordance with laws on the books in western nations, which forbid aid to any agency that employs members of a terrorist organization.
6. Since UNRWA has recently hired a “youth ambassador” — Mohammad Assaf — to travel the world and encourage insurrection and violence, would this not be the appropriate time to demand that UNRWA cancel its contract with a promoter of war?

​Now that the Israeli government has finally come to the conclusion that UNRWA is an impediment to peace, the government of Israel should act within reality to curb UNRWA policy: to reform UNRWA, which can be done, and not to dismantle UNRWA, which cannot be done.

The writer is author of Roadblock to Peace – How the UN Perpetuates the Arab-Israeli Conflict: UNRWA Policies Reconsidered and has been active in efforts to reform UNRWA for the past 29 years. He runs the Israel Resource News Agency and the Center for Near East Policy Research, which has produced books, monographs and movies filmed on location in UNRWA.

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