Should the State Dept. Develop a Policy Regarding the UN’s Palestinian Refugee Organization? (H.R. 5898)

What is H.R. 5898?

(Updated December 31, 2018)

This bill — known as the UNRWA Accountability Act of 2018 — would require the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop an administration policy regarding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The agencies would be required to submit two reports: one on U.S. strategy and policy towards UNRWA, and the second on the State Department’s ongoing review of U.S. foreign assistance to UNRWA, Gaza, and the West Bank.

Argument in favor

An administration position regarding the UN’s Palestinian refugee organization is needed so that the other countries that fund UNRWA, and the Israeli and Palestinian governments can address the ongoing refugee crisis in the Middle East.

Argument opposed

By cutting funding to the UNRWA, the Trump administration has already made its position on UNRWA clear, and it’s already studying and evaluating alternatives for a resolution of the Middle East’s refugee issues.

Impact

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East; Secretary of State; Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development; Israel; Palestine; and Palestinian refugees

Cost of H.R. 5898

The CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost less than $500,000 over the 2019-2023 period.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) introduced this bill to force President Trump to outline his strategy with regard to U.S. assistance to the West Bank, Gaza, and UNRWA:

“During his time in office, President Trump has inflamed tensions in the Middle East. His shifting, unwieldy policies have made a peace agreement more and more unlikely,” said Cicilline. “This bill will require the administration to clarify their policy towards funding for the West Bank, Gaza, and other Palestinian refugees.”

Israeli Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the elimination of UNRWA and applauds the current freeze on U.S. funding to the organization:

“That is why the U.S. did a very important thing, by cutting funding to an agency that immortalizes refugees … it is finally starting to solve the problem… [it’s necessary to] abolish the refugee institution, to take the funds and really help rehabilitate the refugees, whose true number is a fraction of the number reported by UNRWA."

Netanyahu contends that UNRWA is part of the problem in the Middle East and stands in the way of peace, arguing that “the perpetuation of the dream of bringing the descendants of refugees back to Jaffa is what sustains this conflict. UNRWA is part of the problem, not part of the solution.”

Jordan’s Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, says that a cessation of U.S. funding for UNRWA would fuel radicalism and harm prospects for Middle East peace:

“Disruption of UNRWA services will have extremely dangerous humanitarian, political and security implications for refugees and for the whole region. It will only consolidate an environment of despair that would ultimately create fertile grounds for further tension. Politically it will also further hurt the credibility of peacemaking efforts.”

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls UNRWA successful in difficult circumstances, saying that “UNRWA has a strong record of providing high-quality education, health and other essential services, often in extremely difficult circumstances.”

Saeb Erekat, secretary-general of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, says the Trump administration’s cutting of UNRWA funds is a violation of international law:

"By cutting aid, the US is violating international law. UNRWA is not a Palestinian agency but was established by the United Nations, and there is an international obligation to assist and support it until all the problems of the Palestinian refugees are solved."

The Trump administration has criticized UNRWA for what it calls “unsustainable and flawed business model and fiscal practices,” and argued that the agency is unsustainable, and has been in crisis mode for many years. The administration has also argued that UNRWA’s beneficiary population is inflated, calling it an “endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries" According to a senior U.S. official, the administration continues “to study and evaluate alternatives for an equitable resolution of all refugee issues."

This legislation passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on a voice vote with the support of three cosponsors, including one Republican and two Democrats.

Of Note: UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide aid for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Today, it provides services to around 5.4 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. UNRWA has long been criticized by Israel’s government and the hardline pro-Israel members of Congress due to its perceived anti-Israel bias.

Historically, the U.S. has been UNRWA’s largest donor, contributing about one-third of its $1.1 billion annual budget. President Trump has withheld financial assistance from UNRWA since January 2018, saying that Palestinians have not shown him “appreciation or respect.” The administration has also frozen funding for bilateral assistance programs, including food aid, which is typically administered by independent charity organizations.

President Trump’s rejection of UNRWA has complicated the Middle East peace process and contributed to the region’s humanitarian crisis. Gaza in particular faces a serious humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by Hamas’ failure to govern the territory.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) Press Release

• CBO Cost Estimate

• Countable - Why Trump Was Right to End Funding for the UN Palestinian Aid Organization (Context)

• Countable - Trump Administration Guts Funding for UN Palestinian Agency (Context)