Action Alert -- Help Support Pro-Israel Legislation!

A word from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews:

Dear Friend of Israel,

We have all heard the saying, “The road to ruin is paved with good intentions.” The message is clear. While good intentions may provide the starting point for our efforts, they mean little – and can, in fact, have an opposite effect – if they are not translated into positive deeds.

Today I want to tell you about one organization, founded with a noble purpose, that has strayed far from that original purpose – and tell you what you can do to help set it back on its proper path.

In 1949, the United Nations formed the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The original purpose of this agency was to provide emergency aid to the few hundred thousand Arab refugees who had fled their homes or been displaced in 1948 due the ongoing war waged by Arab nations upon the newly-formed state of Israel.

Sixty years later, UNRWA’s reach and budget has expanded exponentially. Unlike every other instance of refugee relief, in this case care of all descendants of the original refugees is also provided by UNRWA. Today the agency provides for more than 4 million people, both those living in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, and those who live in established communities but are nonetheless considered “refugees” by UNRWA’s definition.

While its stated purpose is humanitarian, UNRWA has evolved into an organization that many say perpetuates, rather than eases, the plight of Palestinian refugees and the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict in general. For instance, UNRWA often plays an indirect role in supporting Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Hamas members have been found on the agency’s payroll, a fact that did not seem to bother UNRWA Commissioner-General in 2004 Peter Hansen, when he told a reporter, “I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll and I don't see that as a crime.” More recently, the agency revealed that it has no screening system in place to exclude members of terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad from working in its schools.

A couple of high-profile cases have brought to the world’s attention the connection between Hamas and various other terror groups and UNRWA. It was revealed recently that Awad Al-Qiq, chief rocket-maker for the Islamic Jihad terror group, worked as a science instructor at an UNRWA school in Gaza. Said Siyam, a senior Hamas leader targeted and killed by an Israeli air strike during last month’s Gaza war, was on the UNRWA payroll for years, also working as a teacher. These are only two of the most glaring examples.

And if terrorists are the teachers, what is being taught in UNRWA-funded schools? It has been found that textbooks used in UNRWA schools often reinforce a point of view that is deeply hostile to Israel. One book obtained by Israeli officials at an UNRWA school glorified terrorists and anyone who died during armed struggle with Israel as “martyrs.”

To address this problem, a bi-partisan group of Congressmen, lead by Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Steve Rothman (D-N.J.), are reviving a bill (H. Con. Res. 29) they originally proposed several years ago. This bill would require that UNRWA operate in compliance with existing U.S. laws to ensure that no American taxpayer dollars are being directed to terrorists or to further terrorist propaganda. In addition, it would call on UNRWA to publish online copies of all the education material used in its schools, and urge the agency to adopt strict screening procedures to ensure that no terrorists are included among UNRWA staff.

Let’s challenge UNRWA to make sure that its good intentions truly ease suffering and further the cause of peace in the Middle East. Join the fight for fairness for Israel by responding to our Action Alert and urging your Congressman to support this bill that calls on UNRWA to reform. And, after you have done so, please help us spread the word on this important legislation by forwarding the alert to your friends. Thank you, my friends, for making your voice heard!

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein