Editing UNRWA (section)

==Investigations and calls for accountability and reform==
Many critics of UNRWA, while generally recognizing the importance of its work and the infeasibility of disbanding it, believe it requires more transparency, oversight, and support. Writing in the ''[[Middle East Monitor]]'' in April 2012, [[Karen Koning AbuZayd]], a former Commissioner-General of the UNRWA (2005–2009), argued that "UNRWA needs support not brickbats".<ref name="middleeastmonitor">{{cite web|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/guest-writers/3562-unrwa-needs-support-not-brickbats|title=UNRWA needs support not brickbats|publisher=middleeastmonitor.com|access-date=2014-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211121852/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/guest-writers/3562-unrwa-needs-support-not-brickbats|archive-date=11 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> She concluded that:

<blockquote>... even those who scrutinise [UNRWA] most closely and challenge it most severely are those who also ensure that its programmes receive adequate funding. They, like others who view the agency more positively, realise that UNRWA makes a major contribution to stability in the Middle East.
</blockquote>

Writing in the ''[[The Times of Israel|Times of Israel]]'' on 31 July 2014, [[David Horovitz]] argued that Israel had many legitimate complaints against UNRWA, including that its definition of "refugee" included the descendants of the original Palestinian refugees, that it was "closely watched by Hamas for signs that it is not sufficiently critical of Israel", and that its facilities frequently harbored Hamas operatives and their weaponry. But, he noted, while Israeli officials privately argued for its abolishment, with no other credible party able to take over the agency's duties, including administering the more than 200,000 Gazans internally displaced during the then-ongoing [[2014 Gaza War]], Israel had never "launched a no-holds-barred effort to bring UNRWA down".<ref name="timesofisrael">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-trouble-with-unrwa/|title=The trouble with UNRWA|work=The Times of Israel|access-date=2014-09-14|archive-date=12 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812205837/http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-trouble-with-unrwa/|url-status=live}}</ref> That changed after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, as Horovitz described in a January 2025 piece titled "Gaza after UNRWA". In addition to cataloguing ties between UNRWA and Hamas, including revelations of its staff's "complicity in the mass murder in Israel that caused the war and devastation in Gaza", Horovitz excoriated the agency for having "perpetuated a fundamental intolerance for the simple fact of Israel’s existence" and having "helped Hamas and by extension doomed Gaza".<ref name="TOI20250129">{{Cite news |title=The next round in Iran, Gaza after UNRWA, and a war widow's plea for the Haredi draft |author=David Horovitz |work=Times of Israel |date=2025-01-29 |access-date=4 February 2025 |url= https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-next-round-in-iran-gaza-after-unrwa-and-a-war-widows-plea-for-the-haredi-draft/ |archive-date=2025-01-29 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250129172004/https://www.timesofisrael.com/wherever-gazans-live-only-life-affirming-education-will-give-them-and-us-a-better-future/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Repeated calls for investigation by the United States===
The United States government financed a programme of "Operations Support Officers" whose responsibilities including undertaking random and unannounced inspections of UNRWA facilities to ensure their sanctity from militant operations. In 2004, the U.S. Congress asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to investigate media claims that government funding given to UNRWA had been used to support individuals involved in militant activities. During its investigation, the GAO discovered several irregularities in its processing and employment history.<ref name="gao">{{cite web|url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04276r.pdf|date=17 November 2003|title=GAO-04-276R Department of State (State) and United Nations relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Actions to Implement Section 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961|access-date=2014-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040724093342/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04276r.pdf|archive-date=24 July 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In August 2014, several US Senators demanded an impartial investigation into UNRWA's alleged participation in the 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict, accusing UNRWA of being complicit with Hamas.<ref name="jpost">{{cite web |date=13 August 2014 |title=Senators want UNRWA investigated over 'troubling' Gaza role |url=http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Senators-want-UNRWA-investigated-over-troubling-Gaza-role-370897 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815171652/http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Senators-want-UNRWA-investigated-over-troubling-Gaza-role-370897 |archive-date=15 August 2014 |access-date=2014-09-14 |work=The Jerusalem Post}}</ref>

<blockquote>... While the letter does not call on the State Department to cut aid, the senators write that the American taxpayers "deserve to know if UNRWA is fulfilling its mission or taking sides in this tragic conflict."
... Responding to the letter, a [[Spokesperson for the United States Department of State|State Department spokesman]] said that the UN is taking "proactive steps to address this problem," including deploying munitions experts to the strip in search of more weapons caches.
"The international community cannot accept a situation where the United Nations – its facilities, staff, and those it is protecting – are used as shields for militants and terrorist groups," State Department spokesone Edgar Vasquez told ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]''. "We remain in intensive consultations with UN leadership about the UN's response."
...

"There are few good solutions given the exceptionally difficult situation in Gaza," Vasquez continued, "but nonetheless we are in contact with the United Nations, other UNRWA donors, and concerned parties – including Israel – on identifying better options for protecting the neutrality of UN facilities and ensuring that weapons discovered are handled appropriately and do not find their way back to Hamas or other terrorist groups."<ref>{{cite web |date=13 August 2014 |title=Senators want UNRWA investigated over 'troubling' Gaza role |url=http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Senators-want-UNRWA-investigated-over-troubling-Gaza-role-370897 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815171652/http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Senators-want-UNRWA-investigated-over-troubling-Gaza-role-370897 |archive-date=15 August 2014 |access-date=16 August 2014}}</ref></blockquote>In 2018, citing a "failure to mobilize adequate and appropriate burden sharing," the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] stopped funding UNRWA, calling its fundamental business model and fiscal practices "simply unsustainable".<ref>{{cite web |last=Nauert |first=Heather |date=31 August 2018 |title=Press Statement: On U.S. Assistance to UNRWA |url=https://2017-2021.state.gov/on-u-s-assistance-to-unrwa/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425133120/https://2017-2021.state.gov/on-u-s-assistance-to-unrwa/ |archive-date=25 April 2024 |access-date=2021-04-10 |publisher=[[United States Department of State|US Department of State]]}}</ref> Secretary of State [[Mike Pompeo]] maintained that "most Palestinians under UNRWA's jurisdiction aren't refugees, and UNRWA is a hurdle to peace."<ref>{{cite tweet |number=1349832119829233664 |user=SecPompeo |title=Taxpayers deserve basic truths: most Palestinians under UNRWA’s jurisdiction aren’t refugees, and UNRWA is a hurdle…<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=14 January 2021}}</ref> However, the [[Presidency of Joe Biden|Biden administration]] restarted funding in April 2021<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-04-07 |title=U.S. restores assistance for Palestinians, to provide $235 million in aid |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-usa-blinken-idUSKBN2BU2XT |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231112200302/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-usa-blinken-idUSKBN2BU2XT |archive-date=12 November 2023 |access-date=2023-11-12 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> and as of 2023 has provided over $1 billion to the aid agency.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===James G. Lindsay===
On the basis of his 2009 analyses for WINEP, referred to in previous sections, former UNRWA general-counsel [[James G. Lindsay]] and fellow researcher for [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]]{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} made the following suggestions for improvement:{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} 
<blockquote>UNRWA should make the following operational changes: halt its one-sided political statements and limit itself to comments on humanitarian issues; take additional steps to ensure the agency is not employing or providing benefits to terrorists and criminals; and allow the [[UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]] (UNESCO), or some other neutral entity, to provide balanced and discrimination-free textbooks for UNRWA schools.</blockquote>

[[Andrew Whitley]], director of the UNRWA representative office at [[Headquarters of the United Nations|UN headquarters in New York]], criticized the report as biased and relying on limited sources. Additionally, he noted: "Someone reading this paper with no background would assume that the Israeli government was a benign actor. No mention is made of the [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip]]."<ref>Natasha Mozgovaya [http://www.haaretz.com/news/ex-unrwa-official-blasts-agency-for-politicizing-palestinian-refugee-issue-1.269657 "Ex-UNRWA official blasts agency for politicizing Palestinian refugee issue"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204021837/http://www.haaretz.com/news/ex-unrwa-official-blasts-agency-for-politicizing-palestinian-refugee-issue-1.269657|date=4 December 2010}}, ''Haaretz'', 8 February 2009</ref>

UNRWA's Jerusalem spokesperson [[Chris Gunness]] stated that UNRWA rejects Lindsay's report and its findings and said that the study was inaccurate and misleading, since it "makes selective use of source material and fails to paint a truthful portrait of UNRWA and its operations today".<ref>Tovah Lazaroff
[http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=131264 "'UNRWA staff not tested for terror ties' "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918034318/http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=131264 |date=18 September 2011 }}, ''Jerusalem Post'', 31 January 2009</ref>

In response to the criticism of his report from UNRWA, Lindsay writes:

{{blockquote|Despite repeated requests from the author, the agency declined to identify the alleged weaknesses on the grounds that "our views—and understanding—of UNRWA's role, the refugees and even U.S. policy are too far apart for us to take time (time that we do not have) to enter into an exchange with little likelihood of influencing a narrative which so substantially differs from our own." Thus, the paper has not benefited from any input by UNRWA, whether a discussion of policy or even correction of alleged errors.<ref>Lindsay, ''Fixing UNRWA'', pg. 2 "For an extended description of my correspondence with UNRWA on this subject, see the epilogue following the conclusion of this paper."</ref>}}

===Reform initiative===
An initiative to reform UNRWA was announced by the Center for Near East Policy Research in March 2014.<ref name="ncp">{{cite web|url=http://press.org/events/unrwa-reform-initiative |title=Press Briefing on the UNRWA Reform Initiative |publisher=The National Press Club |date=2014-03-11 |access-date=2014-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030162806/http://www.press.org/events/unrwa-reform-initiative |archive-date=30 October 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The center carries out research and (through its "Israel Resource News Agency") investigative journalism and research in cooperation with a wide variety of organisations and researchers, such as [[Middle East Forum|The Middle East Forum]], which has published an entire issue of [[Middle East Quarterly]] discussing the challenges facing UNRWA.<ref name="mef">{{cite journal |url=http://www.meforum.org/3344/unrwa-special |title=Why a Special Issue on UNRWA? |journal=Middle East Forum |volume=19 |issue=4 |date=Fall 2012 |access-date=2014-08-09 |last1=Rosen |first1=Steven J. |archive-date=8 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808053540/http://www.meforum.org/3344/unrwa-special |url-status=live }}</ref>

The main thrust of the UNRWA Reform Initiative is to present documentation of problems with UNRWA to sponsor nations and organisations with the aim of increasing sponsor demands for accountability. UNRWA has stated on multiple occasions that the head of this initiative, [[David Bedein]], fabricates the information he publishes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/response-new-david-bedein-film-unrwa-spokesperson-chris-gunness|title=Response to the new David Bedein film by UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness|website=UNRWA|access-date=8 April 2021|archive-date=20 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520084550/https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/response-new-david-bedein-film-unrwa-spokesperson-chris-gunness|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/arutz-sheva-forced-publish-denial-over-%E2%80%9Cgroundless%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Cpolitically|title=Arutz Sheva forced to publish denial over "groundless", "politically motivated" attack on UNRWA by David Bedein|website=UNRWA|access-date=8 April 2021|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225105719/https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/arutz-sheva-forced-publish-denial-over-%E2%80%9Cgroundless%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Cpolitically|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/allegations-about-unrwa|title=Allegations about UNRWA|website=UNRWA|access-date=8 April 2021|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419053322/https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/allegations-about-unrwa|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/unrwa-response-%E2%80%9C-sake-nakba%E2%80%9D-film-shown-israel%E2%80%99s-channel-1|title=UNRWA response to "For the sake of the Nakba" film shown on Israel's Channel 1|website=UNRWA|access-date=8 April 2021|archive-date=20 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420195854/https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/unrwa-response-%E2%80%9C-sake-nakba%E2%80%9D-film-shown-israel%E2%80%99s-channel-1|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== EU conditions funding 2021 ===
In September 2021, the [[European Parliament]]'s Budgetary Control Committee approved withholding 20 million Euros in aid to UNRWA if immediate changes to UNRWA's education curriculum are not made. According to the resolution, the Parliament "is concerned about the hate speech and violence taught in Palestinian school textbooks and used in schools by UNRWA... [and] insists that UNRWA acts in full transparency... to ensure that content adheres to UN values and does not encourage hatred."<ref>{{Cite news |last=TPS |date=2021-09-29 |title=EU to condition UNRWA funds on removing incitement from PA textbooks |language=en |work=Ynetnews |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjfo11fbvf |access-date=2022-05-08 |archive-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508161003/https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjfo11fbvf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Funding for UNRWA was reinstated by the EU on March 1, 2024.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Commission will proceed to paying EUR 50 million to UNRWA and increase emergency support to Palestinians by EUR 68 million in 2024 - European Commission |url=https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-will-proceed-paying-eur-50-million-unrwa-and-increase-emergency-support-palestinians-eur-2024-03-01_en |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>