Statement on US Support for Israel's Decision to stop cooperating with UNRWA

January 31, 2025

It is indisputable that UNWRA has been a bad actor in the Gaza Strip for decades, undermining its stated mission by engaging in corruption, promoting antisemitic propaganda in schools, and being complicit in terrorism. The agency's longtime betrayal of its mandate and the neutral stance central to that is a crime against the people it was established to serve. For that reason, the Simon Wiesenthal Center applauds Israel’s decision to cease its cooperation with UNRWA and commends Ambassador Dorothy Shea and the US Mission to the United Nations for their unequivocal stance in defense of that decision.

There is no justification for continuing to funnel aid through an organization whose deep ties to Hamas render it unfit to serve as a humanitarian body. And time is of the essence—every dollar channeled to UNRWA risks strengthening Hamas’ death grip over the people of Gaza instead of providing them the humanitarian relief they desperately need.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center stands firm: Humanitarian aid must not be weaponized. We urge the international community to immediately redirect aid to alternative channels that will deliver essential medical care, education, and assistance to the civilians of Gaza without fueling hatred, antisemitism, and violence. As Ambassador Shea rightly stated, “UNRWA is not and never has been the only option for providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza.”  

The only path to lasting peace is the establishment of a civil administration in Gaza that prioritizes the genuine needs of its people rather than the eradication of Israel. The Simon Wiesenthal Center calls on all UN member states to end the cycle of complicity and to support civil institutions in Gaza that are truly humanitarian.