The
United Nations has begun exploring alternatives to the mandate of UNRWA, the
relief agency it created in 1949 to specifically cater to Palestinian refugees.
The
latest steps come against the backdrop of allegations that the agency’s actions
are tainted by corruption. UNRWA directors have been accused of abusing authority for
their personal gain and suppressing legitimate dissent “to otherwise achieve
their personal objectives.”
The Trump administration has been pushing for reforms in UNRWA and
has even sanctioned the agency over its failed financial practices, withholding
over $100 million in funding.
For
years Israel has accused UNRWA of being grossly one-sided in favor of the
Palestinians, while UNRWA-sponsored schools for Palestinian children have also
come under criticism for using textbooks that blatantly incite against and
demonize Israel.
A local newspaper, Israel
Hayom learned, meanwhile, that the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres has asked pro-Israel non-governmental organizations to submit
proposals for UNRWA operations.
One of
the NGO’s approached by Guterres’ office is the Center for Near East Policy
Research – headed by journalist David Bedein – which has long-been been a vocal
critic of UNRWA. Decades ago, Bedein was among the first to shine a light the
severe deficiencies within UNRWA’s operations and is a respected voice on the
subject.
Guterres
initially met personally with Bedein and his associate, Rabbi Abraham Cooper,
the Director of Global Social Action Agenda of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in
Los Angeles. Cooper is a leading voice in the fight against anti-Semitism, and
has also been seeking reforms in UNRWA for years. Following their meeting, the
UN chief tasked one of his advisers with continuing to hold consultations with
Bedein and Cooper.
“I’m
not against UNRWA, and not against the Palestinians,” Bedein told Israel Hayom.
“I approached this issue because in my training I’m a
social worker and I wanted to help rehabilitate the refugees. But from the
moment I discovered that UNRWA adopted the principles of the Palestinian
Liberation Organization – which aspires to destroy the State of Israel, and not
the values of the UN, which aspires to resolve conflicts and strive for peace –
I understood that the refugees cannot be rehabilitated in a professional
manner.
“Therefore,
the extension of UNRWA’s mandate, which is planned for the near future, needs
to be conditioned on transparency and a fundamental change of [UNRWA’s] educational
system,” said Bedein.
Cooper
added that he was particularly incredulous over Germany and Japan turning a
blind eye to the issue.
“These
two countries decided to insert themselves… and supplement the budget and
donations the American administration stopped paying. Even if I disagree I can
understand it. What I can’t understand, however, is why these countries agree
to donate tens of millions of dollars without oversight and no transparency?!
I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Cooper said.
Increasing
oversight
The
sides have thus far held four meetings on the matter, with another one
scheduled for mid-November.
In the
meetings, Cooper, Bedein and other researchers presented Guterres’
representative with their findings into UNRWA’s severe deficiencies. They put
an emphasis on the rampant incitement against Israel and Jews in UNRWA-run
schools in east Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, Gaza, Jordan and Lebanon.
The UN
official was also shown the stark difference between the mandate given to UNRWA
by the UN, and the mandate it has given to The United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees agency, which handles all the other refugees in the world. For
example, the UNHCR is required to rehabilitate the refugees under its purview,
while UNRWA perpetuates the plight of Palestinian refugees.
Similarly,
the Palestinians are the only ones permitted to hand down their refugee status
from generation to generation in perpetuity, while others across the globe lose
their refugee status after a generation or two. As a consequence, the hundreds
of thousands of Arabs who fled Israel during the 1948 War of Independence have
since ballooned to nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees – a phenomenon without
parallel in the world.
The most urgent step required to properly manage
UNRWA, Bedein and Cooper told the UN official, is to increase oversight and
transparency over the agency, as donor countries are also in the dark over how
their money is spent. The UN official requested more detailed proposals
and the sides agreed that the alternatives would be presented at the fifth
meeting in around a week and a half.
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