UNRWA Officials Advocate Against Terrorist Designation Threat in Congress

UNRWA Officials Advocate Against Terrorist Designation Threat in Congress

EXCLUSIVE UNRWA officials recently urged congressional staffers to oppose a potential move by the Trump administration to classify the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East as a foreign terrorist organization. During a briefing held on December 17, they discussed the agency’s ongoing operations in Gaza and the West Bank, particularly highlighting its cash-based assistance programs, as reported by Fox News Digital.

Organized by UNRWA USA, a nonprofit supporting the agency through advocacy and fundraising, the video conference opened with remarks from Executive Director Mara Kronenfeld. She emphasized the agency’s active presence in the region, despite what she called the Netanyahu government’s efforts to undermine UNRWA’s essential humanitarian work.

Participants at the meeting expressed concerns over reports suggesting that the U.S. government was contemplating this designation for UNRWA. They engaged with congressional offices to strategize on how to prevent such a decision and advocate for support of the agency’s vital operations.

The Implications of Designation

Bill Deere, UNRWA’s Washington director, verified that press accounts accurately reflected the administration’s consideration of designating UNRWA a foreign terrorist organization. He characterized this potential action as unprecedented for a U.N. agency, asserting that it was both unwarranted and inconsistent with findings from four separate independent investigations disputing Israel’s claims about UNRWA’s staff.

Deere called on congressional representatives to respond decisively. He urged them to express their opposition vocally, warning that the implications of such a decision would extend far beyond UNRWA and potentially disrupt the broader U.N. system.

He noted that, if the designation moves forward, options for recourse would be severely limited, although Congress retains the authority to override the classification.

Update from the Field

Key UNRWA officials shared insights into the conditions and challenges faced in Gaza and the West Bank during the meeting. Sam Rose, the director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, explained that international staff were unable to enter Gaza due to Israeli legislation. Consequently, operations are being coordinated remotely.

Despite claims that UNRWA had been obstructed, Rose maintained that the agency’s services in Gaza have continued uninterrupted, catering to needs in primary healthcare, education, water and sanitation, as well as offering shelter. He explained that cash assistance programs and job creation initiatives ongoing in the region demonstrate UNRWA’s resilience. Furthermore, he emphasized that the organization is capable of operating at scale.

UNRWA’s Role in the Region

Roland Friedrich, who serves as the director of UNRWA affairs in the West Bank, described the extensive support the agency provides in various domains, including healthcare and educational programs. He highlighted UNRWA’s assistance to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees through various forms of aid, such as cash assistance, food vouchers, and social protection payments.

Friedrich also mentioned specific programs aimed at assisting displaced populations, including cash-for-rent initiatives. He argued that UNRWA’s presence plays an essential stabilizing role across multiple countries in the region, helping to maintain order amid ongoing turmoil.

Throughout the briefing, the discussion included innovative strategies that allow UNRWA to operate effectively despite operational hurdles. Rose described how the organization continues to receive fuel through indirect channels and coordinates with external parties to maintain essential services.

Issues with Aid Delivery

Rose shared that Israel reported daily truck deliveries reaching 600, a claim to which he did not find reason to dispute. However, he observed a shift in the types of goods entering Gaza, noting that while commercial supplies increased, specific humanitarian items have remained inaccessible to U.N. agencies. This situation highlights a problematic two-tier system, whereby some critical items blocked for U.N. use can still enter through private means.

Advocating for Legislative Action

The meeting also served as a platform for direct advocacy aimed at congressional staffers. Kronenfeld called for support of the proposed legislation, referenced as the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2025. She expressed gratitude to those congressional offices already advocating for the restoration of U.S. funding. Historically, the United States has been UNRWA’s largest donor, making the funding halt in 2024 particularly significant.

Despite multiple requests from Fox News Digital, UNRWA USA and UNRWA officials did not provide comments in response to inquiries regarding the meeting’s objectives or outcomes.

A United Front in Crisis

Deere articulated the importance of such briefings as opportunities for UNRWA to counteract ongoing disinformation campaigns propagated by the Israeli government, which suggest that the agency is inactive in Gaza. Contrary to these claims, Deere confirmed that UNRWA’s staff delivers essential services daily, including forty percent of primary healthcare in Gaza. He highlighted the agency’s initiatives in promoting public health through vaccination campaigns, nutrition screenings, and solid waste disposal.

Additionally, Deere announced the agency’s renewed focus on educational services, noting that nearly 70,000 children are now engaged in in-person learning activities due to UNRWA’s commitment to education. The complexities of operating in the West Bank, particularly under recently enacted laws from the Israeli Knesset, were also underscored, as were the critical discussions regarding the direct impacts of these policies on humanitarian operations.