SWC Encouraged by US linkage of renewed UNRWA aid to Curriculum that Doesn’t Promote Incitement

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is lauding the Biden Administration’s linkage of renewed aid to UNRWA to a curriculum that “does not promote incitement”.

“The fact that Secretary of State Blinken will be required to report to US Congressional Committees-- prior to the release of funds for the UN agency-- that UNRWA is ‘taking steps toensure the content of all educational materials currently taught in UNRWA-administered schools and summer camps is consistent with the values of human rights, dignity, and tolerance anddoes not induce incitement’****, is potentially a gamechanger”, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action. “As the meticulous and exhaustiveresearch of UNRWA policies and curricula by historian Dr. Arnon Gross and longtime advocate David Bedein have shown, UNWRA education-- far from being an advocate for peace-- doesnot recognize the State of Israel and lauds Palestinian terrorists who mass murder Israelis. It comes down to this: Children are taught to hate and UNRWA, for decades and until this dayis part of the problem, not part of the solution. The US has committed itself to force them to change course.”

“Currently Palestinian children are taught to hate their Jewish neighbors and to violently seek Israel’s demise. The recent conflict Hamas continues to use Gazans as human shields andUNRWA facilities to literally cover their terrorist missiles. To avoid even more death and destruction in the future, there must be a fundamental change in the education of Palestinianchildren. We hope that the State Department will vigorously and transparently pursue those basic changes and that other key donor nations, including Germany and Japan, adopt thesame policy,” Rabbi Cooper concluded.

(d) UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY.—Prior to the initial obligation of funds for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the Secretary of State shall report tothe Committees on Appropriations, in writing, on whether UNRWA is—

(1) utilizing Operations Support Officers in the West Bank, Gaza, and other fields of operation to inspect UNRWA installations and reporting any inappro- priate use;

(2) acting promptly to address any staff or beneficiary violation of its own policies (including the policies on neutrality and impartiality of employees) and the legal requirements undersection 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961;

(3) implementing procedures to maintain the neutrality of its facilities, including implementing a no-weapons policy, and conducting regular inspections of its installations, to ensurethey are only used for humanitarian or other appropriate purposes;

(4) taking necessary and appropriate measures to ensure it is operating in compliance with the conditions of section 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and continuing regularreporting to the Department of State on actions it has taken to ensure conformance with such conditions;

(5) taking steps to ensure the content of all educational materials currently taught in UNRWA-administered schools and summer camps is consistent with the values of human rights, dignity,and tolerance and does not induce incitement;

(6) not engaging in operations with financial institutions or related entities in violation of relevant United States law, and is taking steps to improve the finan- cial transparency ofthe organization; and

(7) in compliance with the United Nations Board of Auditors' biennial audit requirements and is implementing in a timely fashion the Board's recommendations.

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at internationalagencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).