{"id":2164948,"date":"2024-02-01T12:59:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T17:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/26-state-ags-press-biden-admin-to-end-all-funding-for-hamas-tied-unrwa\/"},"modified":"2024-02-01T13:02:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T18:02:10","slug":"26-state-ags-press-biden-admin-to-end-all-funding-for-hamas-tied-unrwa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/26-state-ags-press-biden-admin-to-end-all-funding-for-hamas-tied-unrwa\/","title":{"rendered":"26 state attorneys general urge Biden administration to cease all funding for UNRWA, linked to Hamas"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F26-state-ags-press-biden-admin-to-end-all-funding-for-hamas-tied-unrwa%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2164948&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>American Funding for UN Palestinian Aid Group Under Scrutiny<\/h2>\n<p>A coalition of\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/26-state-ags-biden-rule-linking-school-lunch-to-lgbt-policies-is-illegal\/\" title=\"26 State AGs: Biden Rule Linking School Lunch to LGBT Policies Is Illegal\">26 state attorneys general<\/a> is urging congressional \u200cleaders to \u2063cut off all American \u2063funding \u200cfor the \u2062United\u200b Nations&#8217; Palestinian aid group. This comes after\u200d revelations that\u200c employees of the agency assisted Hamas in carrying out a\u200d devastating\u200c attack on Israel.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;It is time for Congress to stop funding this organization that rapes, \u200cmurders, and\u2063 kidnaps innocents\u2014and \u200cthat\u200c has shown \u2062it has no willingness, \u2063desire, or\u2062 capacity to stick to humanitarian aid and away from supporting antisemitism and terrorism,&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The attorneys general sent a letter to Republican and Democratic leaders in\u2064 the House and Senate, emphasizing the need to halt funding for the U.N.&#8217;s Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).\u200b This agency is the primary humanitarian \u2063organization operating in the Gaza Strip. Israeli\u200b intelligence agencies recently disclosed that at\u200c least\u200b 12 UNRWA employees \u2063participated in\u200c a violent rampage by Hamas, resulting in the deaths of\u200b over 1,200 Israelis.<\/p>\n<p>Congress is already considering measures to suspend over $1 billion in funding for UNRWA, and the attorneys general&#8217;s letter adds urgency to these efforts.<\/p>\n<h3>States Unite Against \u2064Funding \u2064Terrorism<\/h3>\n<p>The letter, led by Iowa attorney general Brenna Bird (R) and South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson (R), firmly states that funding organizations\u200b supporting terrorist operations is unjustifiable. They argue that UNRWA has long been involved in such activities.<\/p>\n<p>While the Biden administration has temporarily paused U.S. funding to UNRWA pending an investigation, it has also acknowledged the agency&#8217;s critical relief \u200befforts in war-torn Gaza. This suggests\u200b that funding \u2064could resume once public outrage subsides. The \u200bUnited States is set to provide\u200d at least $371 million in\u2062 additional\u200d funding to UNRWA\u200c this \u200byear.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 state attorneys assert that UNRWA is a failed\u2062 experiment spanning decades, and\u200d there is no justification for continuing\u200b to allocate funds. They call for an\u200d immediate end to financial contributions to UNRWA, both present and future.<\/p>\n<p>Iowa&#8217;s Bird, in an interview\u2062 with\u2063 the \u2064Washington Free Beacon, expressed her intention to demonstrate that states\u200b across the \u2062country are outraged by the Biden administration&#8217;s decision to fund \u2064UNRWA. She believes it is the federal government&#8217;s responsibility to prosecute terrorists, not finance them with taxpayer dollars. State \u2062leaders \u2063are now blowing the\u2063 whistle to \u2062ensure\u2063 that UNRWA is \u2062not funded \u200cusing their tax dollars.<\/p>\n<p>The letter was signed by \u200b26\u200b attorneys general, including those \u200bfrom Texas,\u200b Florida, and Virginia. However, the attorney general\u200b from New Hampshire was unable to\u2062 sign due to opposition from Governor Chris Sununu (R.), who oversees the state office.<\/p>\n<p>The attorneys \u200bgeneral emphasize that humanitarian aid to\u200b organizations operating \u2062in the Gaza Strip must be contingent upon robust third-party oversight. This oversight\u2064 should ensure that staff members\u2064 have no affiliation with Hamas or other \u200cterrorist organizations and that\u2064 funds are not funneled to\u2063 them under the table.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, UNRWA is not subject to such oversight by the U.S. government. Experts who testified before Congress\u200d earlier this week highlighted that the agency is \u200dnot required to undergo counterterrorism \u200dvetting for its staff, contractors, or\u2064 beneficiaries.<\/p>\n<h3>Exploring Alternative Pressure Points<\/h3>\n<p>South Carolina&#8217;s Wilson, who co-led the letter\u200c with Bird, suggests that\u200c state officials can exert \u200bpressure by examining other avenues, such\u200d as cutting off \u200cUNRWA&#8217;s U.S.-based arm, UNRWA USA. A coalition of international lawyers \u2063has petitioned the IRS to revoke\u2064 UNRWA USA&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-posing-as-black-lives-matter-leader-indicted-for-spending-donations-on-house-guns-and-prostitute\/\" title=\"Man Posing As Black Lives Matter Leader Indicted For Spending Donations On House, Guns, And Prostitute\">tax-exempt status due<\/a> to its ties to Hamas.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;That \u200dis a \u200bpressure point that absolutely should be considered and looked into,&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Wilson emphasizes that there are alternative ways to fund humanitarian projects in the Gaza Strip without\u2062 bolstering Hamas and its\u2064 affiliates. He argues that it is a false dilemma to claim that \u2064funding UNRWA is the only way to support those suffering due to Hamas&#8217; actions. The U.S., Israel, and other Western countries have various means to\u2063 provide assistance to those affected by\u2064 the conflict.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What specific concerns did the United States under the \u2063Trump administration have about UNRWA&#8217;s operations and funding?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2064 Es that cutting off \u2062funding is\u200c not only \u2062a matter of financial responsibility, but also a moral imperative.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney general Wilson echoed these \u200csentiments, stating, \u200c&#8221;It is unacceptable that taxpayer dollars are \u2064being used to support an organization that has been infiltrated by terrorists and has blood on its hands. We must take immediate action to ensure \u200cthat American funds are not indirectly\u2063 aiding terrorism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>UNRWA&#8217;s Troubled History<\/h3>\n<p>UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees displaced by the Arab-Israeli conflict. However, critics argue that the agency has strayed from its original\u200d humanitarian mission and become entangled in political agendas.<\/p>\n<p>Issues of mismanagement and corruption have plagued UNRWA for years.\u2062 In 2018, the United States under the \u2064Trump\u200b administration halted its funding to the agency, \u200bciting concerns over inefficiency and its \u2064perpetuation of the refugee issue without seeking a durable solution. The Trump administration also \u200caccused UNRWA\u200b of promoting\u200c anti-Israel bias in its educational materials.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, intelligence reports have repeatedly linked UNRWA employees to terrorist activities, including the harboring of Hamas weapons \u200band the use \u2064of UNRWA facilities as launching sites for attacks on \u200dIsrael. These reports have raised serious questions about the agency&#8217;s vetting and oversight processes.<\/p>\n<p>Given these \u2063allegations and the recent revelation\u2063 of UNRWA employees directly participating in \u2063a violent\u2063 attack, the coalition of attorneys \u200cgeneral argues\u200b that continued American funding to UNRWA only serves to perpetuate violence\u200c and terrorism.<\/p>\n<h3>Global Implications<\/h3>\n<p>The coalition&#8217;s call to cut off \u2062funding for UNRWA has far-reaching implications beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They argue that by ensuring taxpayer \u2064dollars are not indirectly funding terrorism, \u200bthe United States sets an example for the rest of the world to follow.<\/p>\n<p>State attorney\u2063 general \u200dBird emphasizes, &#8220;We must <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-super-pac-is-fundraising-for-hawaii-disaster-relief-the-money-could-end-up-in-democratic-campaign-coffers\/\" title=\"Super PAC raises funds for Hawaii disaster relief, potentially benefiting Democratic campaigns.\">hold organizations accountable<\/a> for their actions. Supporting a group that engages in\u200b violence and supports terrorism undermines \u2064American values \u200dand national security.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The attorneys general recognize the importance of humanitarian\u200c aid\u2063 for the Palestinians, \u2064but they contend that funds should be channeled through responsible and transparent channels. They urge \u200dCongress to redirect assistance to organizations\u200c that have proven\u2064 their\u2064 commitment to nonviolence and humanitarian principles.<\/p>\n<p>In the \u2062face of mounting evidence and \u200dbipartisan support for cutting off funding to UNRWA, \u200cthe attorneys general&#8217;s letter serves as\u200b a strong\u200d voice of opposition. \u200bIt emphasizes the need \u200cfor \u200dcongressional action to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are not inadvertently aiding terrorism and promotes a\u200b shift towards greater accountability and responsible allocation of funds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A group of 26 state attorneys general is urging congressional leaders to cease American funding for the UN&#8217;s Palestinian aid group. Recent findings reveal that the agency&#8217;s staff assisted Hamas in a significant assault on Israel. Congress must act now to cut off funding for this organization involved in heinous acts of rape, murder, and kidnapping<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":2164949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-01-29T130541Z_1_LYNXMPEK0S0DK_RTROPTP_4_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-UN-AGENCY-BRITAIN-scaled-e1706640168289.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2164948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2024-01-29T130541Z_1_LYNXMPEK0S0DK_RTROPTP_4_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-UN-AGENCY-BRITAIN-scaled-e1706640168289.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2164948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2164948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2164948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2164949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2164948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2164948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2164948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}