by Elliott Abrams
The war
in Gaza has brought UNRWA, the U.N. agency dealing with Palestinian
"refugees," back into the news -- mostly because UNRWA schools were
used to shoot rockets at Israel.
The failings of UNRWA were examined here ("End UNRWA")
in December 2011, although today they seem even worse. The UNRWA
employees union is under Hamas control, and it's clear that the staff
is riddled with Hamas "activists." The Israeli commentator and former
MK Einat Wilf wrote
on Sunday that "now, with the fighting over, it is time for Israel to
do what it should have done decades ago -- remove the layer of
protection and legitimacy it grants to UNRWA. Israel should recognize
UNRWA for what it is -- a hostile Palestinian organization that
perpetuates the dream of the return of Palestinian refugees to Israel --
and treat it accordingly."
So now there are two
compelling reasons to end UNRWA. Its cooperation with Hamas, and the
way in which it has been permeated by Hamas, constitute one reason. The
second is that UNRWA is engaged in the perpetuation and expansion of
the "Palestinian refugee problem" rather than its solution. Here is the
explanation I gave in 2011:
"Since the end of the
Second World War, millions of refugees have left refugee camps, and
refugee status, and moved to countries that accepted them -- quickly or
slowly -- as citizens. Post-World War II Europe was an archipelago of
displaced persons and refugee camps, housing 850,000 people in 1947 --
Czechs, Poles, Lithuanians, Germans, Latvians, Greeks, and many more
nationalities. By 1952, all but one of the camps had closed. Hundred of
thousands of Jewish refugees from Europe went to Israel after 1948,
and then hundreds of thousands more arrived from Arab lands when they
were forced to flee after 1956 and 1967. The children and grandchildren
of these refugees, born after their arrival, were never refugees
themselves; they were from birth citizens of the new land, as their
parents had become immediately upon their own arrival. In this process
many nations and agencies have played wonderful roles, not least the
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
"The exception to this
refugee story is the Palestinians. In most of the Arab lands to which
they fled or traveled after 1948 they were often treated badly, and
refused citizenship (with Jordan the major exception) or even the right
to work legally. And instead of coming under the protection of UNHCR,
they had a special agency of their own, UNRWA, the U.N. Relief and
Works Agency. In the decades of its existence, it has not solved or
even diminished the Palesinian refugee problem; instead it has presided
over a massive increase in its size, for all the descendants of
Palestinian refugees are considered to be refugees as well. Once there
were 750,000; now there are five million people considered by UNRWA to
be 'Palestinian refugees.' And UNRWA is now the largest U.N. agency,
with a staff of 30,000. UNHCR cares for the rest of the world with
about 7,500 personnel."
Which side is UNRWA on?
Its supporters would say "on the side of Palestinian refugees," but
instead the agency appears to be on two other sides: its own, always
expanding its own empire and responsibilities, and on the side of
Hamas.
Any transition to UNHCR
would need to be slow and careful, but it should begin. One good way
to start is to demand independent studies and planning for such a step
(independent because you obviously can't leave this work to UNRWA
itself, nor should all of it be conducted within the U.N. system). For
example, a plan might start in one country (such as Jordan or Lebanon)
rather than in Gaza. Or it might start by redefining "refugee" the
normal way. The United States should begin, after a set future date, to
move funding from UNRWA to UNHCR. If UNRWA or the U.N. refuse, so be
it: let those who insist on retaining UNRWA, its pernicious definition
of "refugee," and its ties with Hamas pay the freight.
Such a transition will
be extremely difficult and take years. That's clear -- but it's time to
begin. The Gaza war has illuminated once again the ways in which Hamas
has been acting as a parasite feeding on this U.N. agency -- to which
the United States is the largest donor. Time for a change.
From "Pressure Points" by Elliott Abrams.
Elliott Abrams is a senior fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=9849
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment