UNRWA Has No Basis For Creating Generations of Palestinian Arab Refugees

One of the most controversial issues surrounding how UNRWA does business is its fast-and-loose definition of refugees, which has kept expanding over the years.

When UN General Assembly Resolution 393 was passed on December 2, 1950, endorsing UNRWA's purpose, it clearly stated:

[T]he reintegration of the refugees into the economic life of the Near East, either by repatriation or resettlement, is essential in preparation for the time when international assistance is no longer available, and for the realization of conditions of peace and stability in the area

UNRWA's job was to either repatriate refugees, where possible -- or to resettle them elsewhere, with the realization and acknowledgment that the money was not going to last forever.

But that goal was only good for about 10 years.

The UN Is An Equal Opportunity Employer, Hiring Both Hamas and Hezbollah Terrorists

An employer who agrees not to discriminate against any employee or job applicant because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, physical or mental disability, or age
Definition of 'Equality Opportunity Employer', Merriam Webster

Nor on the basis of "politics."

In 2004, then-Commissioner-General of UNRWA Peter Hansen was interviewed on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and said that UNRWA hiring Hamas terrorists is not a big deal:

No, This Is Not Your Father’s UNRWA

[T]he reintegration of the refugees into the economic life of the Near East, either by repatriation or resettlement, is essential in preparation for the time when international assistance is no longer available, and for the realization of conditions of peace and stability in the area
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 393 (V), December 2, 1950

The goal and purpose of UNRWA is simple and straightforward -- if not immensely challenging: to either repatriate Palestine refugees into what is now Israel or to resettle them elsewhere, while recognizing the obvious reality that there will come a time "when international assistance is no longer available."

Yet here we are, 67 years later.

Those Palestine refugees have not been either repatriated nor resettled.
And that international assistance?
Lo and behold: its being offered and provided.

So what happened to the whole purpose of UNRWA?
It changed.

How UNRWA Keeps Remaking Itself: Defining, Re-Defining and Re-Re-Defining Who Is a Palestinian Refugee

The Report of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA in 2007 indicates that

...The mission of UNRWA is to contribute to the human development of Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic until a durable and just solution is found to the refugee issue. The Agency fulfills this purpose by providing a variety of essential services within the framework of international standards...

The Agency’s vision is for every Palestine refugee to enjoy the best possible standards of human development, including attaining his or her full potential individually and as a family and community member; being an active and productive participant in socio-economic and cultural life; and feeling assured that his or her rights are being defended, protected and preserved.

UNRWA is a global advocate for the protection and care of Palestine refugees. In humanitarian crisis and armed conflict, the Agency’s emergency interventions, and its presence, serve as tangible symbols of the international community’s concern and ultimately contribute to a stable environment.

This is UNRWA?

More Than 95% of UNRWA's "Palestinian Refugees" -- Aren't

The following by Steven J. Rosen is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:

Why State Dept. Defends UNRWA's Artificial "Refugee" Designations

by Steven J. Rosen
The Gatestone Institute
September 30, 2014

http://www.meforum.org/4836/why-state-dept-defends-unrwa-artificial-refugee

Here is a paradox: UNRWA, the United Nations agency that manages the Palestinian refugee issue, follows rules that contradict United States law and policy, and its practices result in perpetuating and multiplying the refugee problem rather than resolving it. Yet the U.S. Department of State gives unquestioning support to UNRWA's refugee designation rules [1], even on occasion defending them in detail. How can this be?

For example, almost two million Palestinians who have long been settled in Jordan and have for decades enjoyed Jordanian citizenship[2], are routinely counted as "refugees" by UNRWA, and the State Department supports it. This, in spite of the fact that, under U.S. law, a person who has citizenship in the country where he resides, and enjoys the protection of that state, cannot lawfully be eligible for refugee status.[3] How can State justify this contradiction?

UNRWA: From Welfare to Warfare

The following by Alexander H. Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:

From Welfare to Warfare

by Alexander H. Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky
The American Interest
August 2, 2014

http://www.meforum.org/4766/from-welfare-to-warfare

UNWRA supplies have been discovered inside Hamas terror tunnels.

As Operation Protective Edge enters its third week, we have now seen four incidents in the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas that have focused attention on UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), the internationally funded welfare organization for Palestinian "refugees."

The most recent saw three IDF soldiers killed in an explosion at a booby-trapped UNRWA clinic that was located at the opening of a terror tunnel.

Earlier in the week, UNRWA discovered rockets hidden in three of its schools in Gaza. Hamas or some other faction had been using the schools while they were closed for the summer; the one available photo shows rockets piled in the back of a classroom, covered with a blanket.

Video: UNRWA Teaches Palestinian Arabs To Hate Jews -- and Christians

Do you know what the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is for? It's an agency used to provide aid in various ways to refugees, such as summer camps. The agency is largely funded by countries and unions, such as the United States, European Union and United Kingdom. But what exactly are they funding?

The Flip Side of Israeli Prosperity is Not Palestinian Poverty

The following by Alexander H. Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky is reposted here with permission of Middle East Forum:

Is The Arab-Israeli Conflict Really About Economics?

by Alexander H. Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky
Forbes
June 26, 2013

Is the Arab-Israeli conflict really about economics? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently claimed "People in Israel aren't waking up every day and wondering if tomorrow there will be peace because there is a sense of security and a sense of accomplishment and of prosperity."

This was echoed by New York Times reporter Ethan Bronner, who recently took Israelis to task for their economic success; they have "moved on" from the conflict with the Palestinians which still looms like an "iceberg" in front of their "Titanic."

Presumably the flip side to Israeli prosperity is Palestinian poverty. But this is a harder claim to make.

Suffering Of Syrian Refugees Highlights UNRWA Abuses and Extravagances

Evelyn Gordon writes about How UNRWA Steals Money from Those Who Need It Most:

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is threatening to end relief operations for Syrian refugees, who currently number 1.3 million and counting, if it doesn’t receive the necessary funds soon. The agency says it has received only a third of the $1 billion it needs through June, and only $400 million of the $1.5 billion donors pledged earlier this year. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned explicitly that absent more funds, UNHCR will have to stop distributing food to refugees in Lebanon next month. And Jordan, which has the largest population of Syrian refugees, is threatening to close its borders to new entrants unless more aid is forthcoming urgently.

Unlike The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which is threatening to end relief operations for Syrian refugees due to lack of funding, UNRWA has no problem providing benefits to Palestinian Arabs beyond what refugees normally receive:

Arlene Kushner On Assorted News Concerning Israel

From Arlene Kushner:
March 7, 2012

Sharing

Mostly a bit of news and a variety of materials that are worthy of being shared.

Let me begin with a brief update on the little boy I've been tracking -- Zakkai.  He's making good progress in his recovery and is becoming more like himself.  But all is not smooth: he's clingy, which is understandable considering the trauma he's had; wants to be carried on stairs, which he finds difficult to navigate; and still has some discomfort.  Since his balance isn't good and he has other problems connected to the surgery on his spine, he has rehabilitation specialists working with him to help him regain his former mobility.

Please God, a matter of time.  The family prays for a return to normalcy.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Center for Near East Policy Research, which has produced a variety of materials on UNRWA over the years, has just put out a new video on the "Right of Return" as taught in the UNRWA schools. 

See this and understand why UNRWA is part of the problem, and why peace is not possible while the Palestinian Arab kids in its classrooms continue to be taught to kill Jews in order to regain "their" land.  This is stunning documentation -- you get it from the mouths of students, teachers and administrators themselves (with subtitles).  What the kids say is most stunning of all:

Why Is UNRWA Quiet When It's Employees Are Killed In Syria?

The following article by Asaf Romirowsky and Alex Joffe is reposted here with permission:

UNRWA Keeps Quiet on Syria

by Asaf Romirowsky and Alexander Joffe
The National Interest
November 9, 2012

http://www.meforum.org/3373/unrwa-syria

When two employees of UNRWA, the United Nations organization for Palestinians, were killed in Syria, one by a sniper and the other in a crossfire, the organization responded by deploring "the tragic loss of life." It was even more subdued when Syrian artillery shells slammed into a United Nations school for Palestinians in a Damascus suburb, as it called for "all sides to refrain from conducting the conflict in civilian areas and to comply with their obligations under international law."

These mild responses were utterly unlike the cries of condemnation and calls for war-crimes investigations that came forth when an Israeli shell struck outside an UNRWA school during the 2009 Gaza. But double standards are sometimes revealing. The responses point to a new predicament for UNRWA and Palestinians.

UNRWA Keeps Reinventing Itself And Now Wants To Negotiate On Behalf Of Palestinian Arabs

The following by Emanuel Marx is reposted here with permission:

Some UNRWA Refugees Have Resettled

by Emanuel Marx
Middle East Quarterly
Fall 2012, pp. 37-44 (view PDF)

http://www.meforum.org/3364/unrwa-refugees-resettled

The question whether the U.N. Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has successfully reintegrated Palestinian refugees into the normal life of the Middle East has long been a central bone of contention. Anxious to fend off criticism by the refugee population and by various political factions, UNRWA officials mince their words and disguise their actions in this regard.[1] UNRWA publications and documents tend to discuss reintegration without ever using the term as if the agency was not required by its original mandate to work for "the reintegration of the refugees into the economic life of the Near East, either by repatriation or resettlement."[2]

This evasiveness is not difficult to understand: If UNRWA has successfully reintegrated the refugees into the economies of the host countries and the region,[3] as it may have well done, what justification is there for its future existence? Indeed, since the huge labor force it has accumulated in the course of its work may never permit it to disband, UNRWA seems to be searching yet again for a new reintegrative task that would give it a new sense of purpose.

UNRWA Suspends Some Services To West Bank

UNRWA claims it has been receiving threats:

UNRWA suspended its operations in the Jenin area refugee camps following allegation of threats received by its staff. It said that while it was suspending services as of Friday in most of its offices, this will not affect the health services.

Article Arlene Kushner: UNRWA's Anti-Israel Bias

UNRWA's Anti-Israel Bias

by Arlene Kushner
Middle East Quarterly
Summer 2011, pp. 84-91 (view PDF)

On October 22, 2010, the outgoing director of the New York office of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Andrew Whitley, stunned his listeners at a Washington conference by arguing that "the right of return is unlikely to be exercised to the territory of Israel to any significant or meaningful extent," and that UNRWA should help resettle the refugees rather than perpetuate their refugee status.[1]

Confronted with a barrage of criticism from the Palestinian Authority and many Arab states, Whitley quickly backed down, claiming, "It is definitely not my belief that the refugees should give up on their basic rights, including the right of return."

Middle East analyst Daniel Pipes commented: "That UNRWA might contemplate going out of business and helping end the Arab-Israeli conflict … was too good to be true."[2]