Jewish Voice Exclusive: White House Correspondent Says “UNRWA Implicit in Aiding Hamas”

Jewish Voice Exclusive: White House Correspondent Says “UNRWA Implicit in Aiding Hamas”  

Edited by: Fern Sidman

On Thursday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby robustly defended UNRWA against suggestions made by a reporter at the press briefing that the United States should reconsider its support due to long-standing reports of its facilities being exploited by Hamas terrorists, as was reported by The Times of Israel. Kirby emphasized the crucial work undertaken by UNRWA, particularly in providing essential services to the people of Gaza.

Top Biden spokesman John Kirby defends UNRWA — which employs Hamas terrorists and terrorist sympathizers, is complicit in storing Hamas weapons, and whose schools teach kids to hate Jews pic.twitter.com/I7VUR6ncrA

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 4, 2024

Addressing the allegations that UNRWA facilities are being used by Hamas for illicit activities, Kirby firmly rejected the notion of holding the agency responsible for the actions of the terrorist group, when responding to the reporter. He argued that it is unfair to attribute the depredations of Hamas, such as using civilian infrastructure for terrorist purposes, to UNRWA.

During the press briefing, Kirby underscored the importance of UNRWA’s efforts in delivering vital resources such as food, water, and medicine to the people of Gaza. He acknowledged that UNRWA operates under challenging conditions, facing risks to ensure the well-being of civilians throughout the region.

Hey #JohnKirby
Looks like #UNRWA only unloads and distributes aid to #Hamas
Maybe they put on a special show for you. https://t.co/3LINGINPyc

— Vincent Clé (@NightmareAlley) January 6, 2024

Israel National News reported that when the reporter noted that the US gave UNRWA $1 billion dollars, Kirby replied, “They do good work in Gaza, and they are important to helping get the humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. And we’re grateful for that work that they’re doing, very much in harm’s way.”

Kirby added, “I will let them speak to whatever concerns they have over Hamas’s activities and the degree to which that they feel obligated to speak out or not.”

However, UNRWA is also notorious for its anti-Israel activities. During the 2014 counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge, Hamas rockets were discovered inside a school building run by UNRWA.

This is where the world’s aid money and donations are going to…
All of UNRWA kindergartens and schools trapped with bombs.#defundUNRWA#DefundTheUN#HamasTerrorists#UNRWAisHAMAS#UNisHamas pic.twitter.com/SdlMpNymXX

— leonskee (@leeonskee) January 4, 2024

In an exclusive interview with The Jewish Voice, the reporter in question, Jake Turx, who is the White House correspondent for Ami Magazine and news contributor to the Newsmax network said that “UNRWA does the job for Hamas and is aiding and abetting the terror group, particularly as it pertains to allowing them to steal humanitarian aid that is earmarked for civilians in Gaza.”

Turx also told the Jewish Voice that Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations published a statement on September 21, 2023 that said. “In 2023 alone, the United States has contributed more than $296 million to UNRWA. And the Biden administration has contributed nearly $1 billion since 2021.“ Thomas-Greenfield added that, “I encourage other Member-States to step up and make the financial commitments need to fund UNRWA through the end of the year.”

🚨Kfir Brigade in Khan Yunas: Exposing weapons inside @UNRWA bags.

Act surprised. pic.twitter.com/JtxnUVRB2K

— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) January 7, 2024

Turx added that in addition to the $1 billion that the US has already given to UNRWA, Thomas-Greenfield also said that the United States will be providing more than $73 million in additional funding to support IJNRWA’s core and emergency services.

In a recent operation, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday morning uncovered a significant cache of weapons belonging to the Hamas terror wing, known as the Nukhba, strategically hidden in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) bags within a medical clinic in Gaza, as was reported by the Jerusalem Report. This discovery sheds light on the sophisticated methods employed by Hamas to conceal its military assets and highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the IDF in maintaining regional security.

Created in 1949, UNRWA supplies aid to more than three million of the five million registered “Palestinian refugees” in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and territories assigned to the Palestinian Authority, as was reported by Israel National News.

The IDF initiated a targeted raid in the northern portion of Gaza City following intelligence reports indicating the presence of Hamas terrorists in the area. The military operation was prompted by previous attacks on Israeli troops in the region. The JPost report indicated that during the raid, IDF soldiers discovered ballistic vests belonging to the Hamas Nukhba, carefully concealed in UNRWA bags within the medical clinic.

Adjacent to the raided medical clinic, a neighboring building was found to house a substantial arms cache. Among the weapons discovered were rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), AK-47 rifles, and a considerable amount of ammunition, as was noted in the JPost report. This finding underscores the interconnected network of Hamas infrastructure in civilian areas, posing additional challenges to the IDF in distinguishing between civilian and terrorist locations.

Further south in the Gazan city of Khan Yunis, the IDF located and destroyed a weapons storage facility containing dozens of Kalashnikov rifles. According to the JPost report, this facility also harbored remotely detonated explosive devices, RPGs, and over 100 ammunition cartridges. The coordinated ground and aerial operation not only neutralized numerous terrorists in the area but also revealed the extent of Hamas’s arsenal in the region.

The IDF’s counterterrorism efforts in Khan Yunis extended beyond the destruction of the weapons storage facility. Israeli soldiers engaged in a comprehensive operation that led to the identification and elimination of many terrorists, the JPost report said. Additionally, several tunnel shafts were reportedly uncovered and demolished, further disrupting Hamas’s covert infrastructure.

In the northern Gazan city of Beit Lahiya and the neighborhood of Al-Furqan, Israeli troops encountered terrorists employing drones to target IDF personnel. As was indicated in the JPost report, on a swift and decisive response, the IDF utilized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to strike at the terrorists, neutralizing the imminent threat and safeguarding Israeli forces.

The discovery of ballistic vests in UNRWA bags within a medical clinic, alongside the uncovering of weapons storage facilities and counterterrorism efforts, highlights the complexity of the challenges faced by the IDF in securing the region.

In a December 26^th interview with NBC News, Israeli Lt. Col, Jonathan Concricus, an IDF spokesman said that Palestinians in Gaza told Israeli officers that UNRWA is essentially controlled by Hamas and the humanitarian aid that comes into Gaza through the Rafah Crossing with Egypt seldom finds its way into civilian hands as the humanitarian aid trucks are held up at UNRWA facilities and that Hamas swoops down to steal the aid for their own use.

In related developments, the advocacy group UN Watch, enumerated on how teachers in UNRWA schools express support for terrorism and Palestinian terrorist groups, and indoctrinate students to violence. On July 15, 2022, Hillel Neuer, director of UN Watch tweeted that UN Watch has “easily identified 120 UNRWA teachers, school principles and other employees who praise Hitler, glorify terrorist attacks and spread anti-Semitism.”  UN Watch decried the, “exploitation of children as child soldiers” as a “form of child abuse and a violation of international law.”

Recent reports from Israeli sources, including the Telegram news channel Abu Ali Express, reveal disturbing instances of UNRWA schools incorporating art projects that glorify terrorists. The juxtaposition of landmarks like the Dome of the Rock with images of infamous figures like Osama Bin Laden raises serious questions about the agency’s educational content and its clear impact on fostering a culture of violence.

According to a 2007 report on the Jewish Policy Center web site, “UNRWA does not seem to have a problem with Hamas’ Islamist agenda. It has not condemned the brutal Hamas violence.”

The report went on to say that “UNRWA only appears to be concerned with its own survival and continued funding. UNRWA does not appear to be scared of Hamas’ terrorist agenda, either. Professor Rashid Khalidi, a noted Hamas apologist at Columbia University, explains that UNRWA employs, “members of different political groups such as… Hamas and Islamic Jihad, without reference to their belonging to a specific group.”

Moreover, according to Yoni Fighel, a former Israeli military governor in the Palestinian territories, UNRWA workers are permitted to openly affiliate with terrorist groups. He notes that, “as long as UNRWA employees are members of Fatah, Hamas, or PFLP [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine], they are going to pursue the interests of their party within the framework of their job…Who’s going to check up on them to see that they don’t? UNRWA? They are UNRWA.”

In other words, UNRWA sees Hamas and other terrorist groups as part of the Palestinian landscape, and therefore embraces these groups.”

The Jewish Policy Center report added that “UNRWA institutions have not just produced terrorist ideologues. They have also produced terrorist masterminds. According to Dore Gold, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, UNWRA has produced graduates like Ibrahim Maqadama, who “helped create the military structure of Hamas.” Gold notes that, “at least 46 terrorist operatives were students in the UNRWA schools.”

There have also been widespread reports of terrorism from UNRWA-supervised facilities, including sniper attacks from UNRWA-run schools, bomb and arms factories in UNRWA camps, the transport of terrorists to their target zones in UNRWA ambulances, and even UNRWA employees directly tied to terrorist attacks against civilians.”