[ April 26, 2024 ]
The incredibly brave and singular President Trump, exceeding our expectations — every day in every way.
Related:
UNRWA Complains About Funding While Training Children to Wage War
“Supporting UNRWA, We Keep The Conflict Alive,” Swiss Foreign Minister Declares After Visit to Jordan
UNRWA reportedly closes schools and offices so students and employees can attack Israel
Maps erasing Israel removed from UNRWA school walls, textbooks call for jihad
U.S. State Department Withholds Additional $45 Million From UNRWA
CIA Homicide Bomber was an UNRWA employee
Story continues below advertisement
US announces it’s cutting all funding to Palestinian refugee agency
State Department says ‘US will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation’
US President Donald Trump speaks during a bill signing event at Harris Conference Center August 31, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan SmialowskiWASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Friday it is cutting nearly $300 million in planned funding for the UN agency that aids Palestinian refugees, ending decades of support.
The State Department announced in a written statement Friday that the United States “will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation.
“The fundamental business model and fiscal practices that have marked UNRWA for years – tied to UNRWA’s endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries – is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years,” the statement said, a reference to the fact that the agency grants refugee status to all the descendants of the original Palestinian refugees, something not granted to those from any other places.
However, the statement said the US would look for other ways to aid the Palestinians.
“We are very mindful of and deeply concerned regarding the impact upon innocent Palestinians, especially school children, of the failure of UNRWA and key members of the regional and international donor community to reform and reset the UNRWA way of doing business,” it said, adding that “Palestinians, wherever they live, deserve better than an endlessly crisis-driven service provision model. They deserve to be able to plan for the future.”
The US will now work together with other international groups to find a better model to assist the Palestinians, the statement said.
Reports had circulated throughout the week that the US was planning the move.
The US supplies nearly 30 percent of the total budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency, which provides health care, education, and social services to Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
The US donated $355 million to the agency in 2016 and was set to make a similar contribution this year. In January the Trump administration released $60 million in funds but withheld a further $65 million it had been due to provide.
Ahead of the announcement, Israel signaled its support for the move.
“Israel supports the move because UNWRA is one of the main problems perpetuating the conflict,” Hadashot news quoted a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office as saying.
A senior Israeli official told Channel 10 TV that Israel supports providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians, but not through UNWRA. The official said the funding would be better spent by other agencies.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Washington has made a final decision to halt all funding for UNWRA and would announce the move in the next few weeks.
The Trump administration is now set to reprogram the remaining funds — around $290 million.
The withdrawal of US funding would leave UNRWA facing a financial crisis, but officials noted that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and others have provided more than $200 million in new funding to help cover its budget this year.
Germany said Friday it would also boost funding to the beleaguered UN agency and called for an international effort to sustain the aid body.
“The loss of this organization could unleash an uncontrollable chain reaction,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, according to Reuters. “We are currently preparing to provide an additional amount of significant funds.”
The Washington Post added that the decision also included a previously reported plan to remove the refugee status from millions of Palestinians around the world — recognizing only several hundred thousand instead of the five million claimed by Palestinians.
There was no explicit call for this in the statement beyond the criticisms of “UNWRA’s endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries.”
The “right of return” is one of the key core issues of dispute in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians claim that five million people — tens of thousands of original refugees from what is today’s Israel, and their millions of descendants — have a “right of return.” Israel rejects the demand, saying that it represents a bid by the Palestinians to destroy Israel by weight of numbers.
It says there is no justification for UNRWA’s unique criteria, by which all subsequent generations of descendants of the original refugees are also designated as having refugee status, including those born elsewhere and/or holding citizenship elsewhere; such a designation does not apply to the world’s other refugee populations.
Israel’s population is almost nine million, some three-quarters of whom are Jewish. An influx of millions would mean Israel could no longer be a Jewish-majority state.
The Post’s report appeared to corroborate another by Foreign Policy Tuesday, according to which a decision to cut all aid to the UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) was made at a meeting earlier this month between US President Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Since then, the administration has informed “key regional governments” of its plan, the report said.
The Foreign Policy report came hours after State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that aid money to the Palestinian Authority “does not provide value to the US taxpayer,” following a White House announcement that it planned to slash more than $200 million in overall aid to Ramallah.
Also Tuesday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley questioned Palestinian claims to a “right of return” to modern Israel, saying she believed that the hot button issue should be taken “off the table.”
Haley suggested the Trump administration would consider an official rejection of the Palestinian demand that all refugees who were displaced between 1947 and 1948 — as well as all of their descendants — be allowed to return to modern-day Israel following a final peace accord.
Last weekend, a Hadashot TV report said the US will announce a policy that, “from its point of view, essentially cancels the ‘right of return.’” It said the US in early September will produce a report that says there are actually only some half-a-million Palestinians who should be legitimately considered refugees, and makes plain that it rejects the UN designation under which the millions of descendants of those displaced between 1947 and 1948 are also considered Palestinian refugees.
Netanyahu has called in the past for UNRWA to be “dismantled.” Last July, for instance, he accused the organization of inciting against Israel while doing nothing to help the plight of Palestinian refugees. He asked why they needed a specific body, when the UN High Commission for Refugees has helped tens of millions of displaced persons since World War II. “The time has come to dismantle UNRWA and have its parts integrated into the UN High Commission for Refugees,” he said, accusing the body of “perpetuating” the plight of Palestinian refugees.
The Truth Must be Told
Your contribution supports independent journalism
Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more.
Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible.
Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too.
Please contribute here.
or
Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.
Quick note: We cannot do this without your support. Fact. Our work is made possible by you and only you. We receive no grants, government handouts, or major funding.Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here.
Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here— it’s free and it’s essential NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America's survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.
Follow Pamela Geller on Gettr. I am there. click here.
Follow Pamela Geller on Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. It's open and free.
Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.
Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spammy or unhelpful, click the - symbol under the comment to let us know. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
If you would like to join the conversation, but don't have an account, you can sign up for one right here.
If you are having problems leaving a comment, it's likely because you are using an ad blocker, something that break ads, of course, but also breaks the comments section of our site. If you are using an ad blocker, and would like to share your thoughts, please disable your ad blocker. We look forward to seeing your comments below.
76 Comments
5 years ago
The US should cut all funding to any country that supports terrorists.
5 years ago
Reply to
Mohammed_Goldberg
The President did the right thing.
No more free baba gannoush!
5 years ago
Reply to
Mohammed_Goldberg
We should just cut all funding to Muslim groups and countries, but also cut all business ties as well. Don’t buy oil or any other products from Muslims (which they use to finance their jihad/terror against us). Don’t allow them to buy stakes in our social media companies or landmarks or anything else for that matter. Ideally Muslims should just be removed from the West completely.
We’re living in a fantasy world, assuming that we can somehow integrate Muslims into Democracies, it doesn’t work, it has never worked. Once Muslims become a large population, they strive to destroy all non-Muslim systems of govt and impose Islam on the rest of us by force. Just imagine we could be like Japan, Poland or Hungary today, no Muslims, no problems (that come from Muslims).
5 years ago
Reply to
Rick Reynolds
You’re wrong about JP. It’s problems w/f’ing muslums are only beginning.
5 years ago
Reply to
Rick Reynolds
Agree. Trump was conned by Abbas initially but when he found out the truth boy was he mad as hell at the jihadi http://bit.ly/2rOmfyJ
That’s when he decided enough is enough and that inspite of huge opposition led to shifting of Embassy to Jerusalem and No more funding to the jihadis.
5 years ago
Reply to
Suresh
from what I have come to learn, every presidential candidate in the past few decades has promised to move the embassy to Jerusalem. Trump is the first one with cojones big enough to do it.
5 years ago
Reply to
Rick Reynolds
Why aren’t our leaders following the lessons of History there is no excuse for this type of incompetence all you need to know about Islam is right there right up to the present moment , in fact they make their plans for the west well known and to ignore it is insane !
5 years ago
Reply to
Bill Kay
The current leaders refuse to learn from history because they think they are smarter and better than those before them. That is why they think socialism will work this time around even though Venezuela is an unmitigated disaster.
5 years ago
Reply to
Roland Deschain
Hard to believe they could be that stupid unfortunately there are many useful Idiots on the left that are just plain Gutless to stand up and do the right thing ! Bible verse The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left Ecclesiastes 10.2 (NIV) .
5 years ago
Reply to
Mohammed_Goldberg
We should also cut funding to the UN and NATO, they both serve anti American interests, no need to support them any longer.
5 years ago
I’m sure the late senator McCain just rolled over.
5 years ago
Reply to
Phil McDonald
He will have eternity to think about how he “did things his way”.
5 years ago
Reply to
Phil McDonald
Nah, he’s enjoying his 72 virgins, little boys and rivers of wine — not necessarily in that order.
5 years ago
A long overdue move. No country that has money for weapons but no money for food should receive ANY kind of help. Period!
5 years ago
Thank you, President Trump. A long overdue move, IMO. UNRWA has acted as a cover for Hamas for too long.
5 years ago
If it were not for Trump, the cutting of the funds to UNRWA/Palestinian Murder Inc. would continue and likely increased, especially if the Democrats were in power. The EU, Britain and other Western nations whose alliances include terrorist states and lobbyists will condemn Trump’s actions and likely, up the funding to such governments and other groups of UNRWA ilk.
The Democrats will condemn the actions once they run out of eulogies for the deceased Arizona Senator, John McCain and the Queen of Soul. America’s supposed allies are anything but allies, excepting Israel. They, hand in hand, with Islam are doing their utmost to undermine Trump and conservative, patriotic Americans.
5 years ago
Reply to
Ziggy46
I agree, Riley, wholeheartedly; Mo is a false prophet; indeed, his acolytes are in league with Allah the Dragon/Satan, as said. I am no theological wiz, but the proof is in the Bible and the everyday Islamic terror committed in the name of the Satan of which you speak. Good post.
5 years ago
Um, another move so sensible I am amazed it ever happened.
5 years ago
Here’s the plan…kill them all.
5 years ago
UN…death by a thousand cuts…Just walkaway.bwahahahaha.
5 years ago
….more power to them…
5 years ago
Reply to
thaidude
Yeah , Thailand is folding up under the islamisation of it’s coast , and large numbers of islamists who came for the little boys are staying , to export them out to islamists everywhere .
The Vietnamese are killing muslums as fast as they can find them .
5 years ago
Reply to
aebe
“The Vietnamese are killing muslums as fast as they can find them.” Props to Vietnam! My second favorite country in SE Asia — right behind Myanmar and their cool and friendly Burmese cats.
5 years ago
Reply to
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
Vietnam was lovely country , in spite of the occasional azzole shooting at me .
5 years ago
Reply to
aebe
Pity they missed – must have come close. Must have hit something, that would explain a great deal.
5 years ago
Reply to
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
Come to Thailand and see for yourself…we will do it our way.
5 years ago
Reply to
thaidude
So what’s going on in Southern Thailand these days? R the f’ing muslum scum still seeking to create their own muslum Shari’a rump state there? It would be a good idea for Thailand and Myanmar to forge a military alliance.
5 years ago
Reply to
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
Many teachers in our southern provinces are now armed…this occurs nowhere else in the Kingdom. Muslim people have hurt us. Even though we are basically a religiously ambivalentpeople . We prefer Buddhism as a life style and culture. Buddha is our teacher not a god. Historically Burma not Myanmar has been our nemesis. Now just a neighbor.
5 years ago
Reply to
thaidude
Shouldn’t everyone in Thailand and Myanmar be afraid of the muslums who run Indonesia (spit) and Malaysia (spit again) and Bangladesh?
5 years ago
I can hear CAIR squealing already,
5 years ago
PRESIDENT (emphasis to bug the snowflakes) Trump is correct in cutting US taxpayer’s funding to Muslim thugs who would kill all “non-believers” if given the chance.
5 years ago
Funny how the rotten, corrupt atheist West never cried for the Cypriots who were forcibly expatriated from 40% of their country by the f’ing Turkish muslums — because faux muslum refugees are more important than actual refugees.
F*ck the UN.
5 years ago
Reply to
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
The term UN is misleading: it pretends to stand for United Nations. In reality, the UN is controlled by its largest voting block, the OIC, representing 57 Muslims states.
The UN is a wolf in the sheep pen that has donned sheep skin.
5 years ago
Reply to
Ego
You’ll notice the Christian Africans who really are refugees and are being systematically slaughtered and enslaved by muslum Africans across Africa aren’t being allowed to immigrate to the dying atheist West.
5 years ago
Reply to
Ego
The OIC’s 10-year Action Plan (2005):
http://www.schnellmann.org/OIC_Summit_Ten-year_strategic_action_plan_2005.pdf
The new one, OIC 2025:
https://www.oic-oci.org/upload/pages/oic2025/oic_2025_impl_en.pdf
Very instructive read.
Also, they have met most of the goals of the first one, mainly thanks to the EU, the organization of useful idiots.
5 years ago
Reply to
Ego
And we need to make more people aware of this ……so we can pull out of the UN …..
5 years ago
Reply to
Lilithwept
I agree we should pull out of the UN. However, I think it is a very valuable asset to the “intelligence” community.
5 years ago
What I want for Thanksgiving or Halloween this year:
1.)Health, Wealth, and babes.
2.)Democrats losing badly in the mid-term elections!
3.)Israel destroying Iran’s nuclear sites (civilian and military).
4.)Palestinians put on the Travel ban.
But wait…there’s more! 🙂
5 years ago
It’s about damn time.
5 years ago
Yup, they won’t give their fair share to NATO but they will send hundreds of millions to muslim terrorists. Remember, these were the same people dancing in the streets to celebrate American deaths during 9/11.
5 years ago
How much of that winds up in the pockets of Hamms ? How much of that goes for fried in pigskin grease chicken , the chicken being sold as fried in grease from the head of Mo’hamnmud ?
Validate your 2nd Amendment Rights………… Carry !
5 years ago
They have already promised Iran the EU would make up for what it will not get from us . Too bad the passed presidunce got away with giving Hamms a billion .
As taxes are increased to pay for the invaders , German military armories will be broken into and Merkel will learn to fear her subjects .
5 years ago
Good move Trump! Funding the UNRWA is simply funding HAMAS. The aid must be for humanitarian relief, not funding terrorists.
5 years ago
Well done. It’s about time.
5 years ago
God bless The Donald!
5 years ago
The perfect man, NOT, defective DNA.
Muhammad was WHITE!
http://quranx.com/Hadith/Muslim/Reference/Hadith-2340/
Muhammad was a dwarf and fat!
http://sunnah.com/abudawud/42/154
5 years ago
What a President! What a consequential leader. I love this embodiment of Marie Antoinette, “Let them eat cake.”
5 years ago
UNRWA, UNICEF, UNHRC: Trump has pulled us (and our money) out of all those UN organizations. I believe he’s pulling America out of the UN little by little…. Death by a thousand little cuts… What an American! G-d Bless him!
5 years ago
Reply to
Political_qrm
I used to support UNICEF, but not anymore. I won’t give a dime to any entity associated w/the OIC, er, UN.
5 years ago
Long overdue.
5 years ago
Trump gets better and better every day. God bless him with health and he should be POTUS again in 2020.
5 years ago
United Nations Relief and Works Agency UNRWA
Great move Mr President, cutting funding. Need to cut all funding to UN
5 years ago
What about the Palestinian terrorist agencies INSIDE the U.S.? How long are we going to tolerate the war against us from our own government?
5 years ago
Reply to
iprazhm
That is a major problem that should not for one instant be ignored.
They should be hounded to extinction.
5 years ago
what, no more benefits for terrorists?
5 years ago
How about not one more dime to the UN. Period.
5 years ago
This is a good first step. Next, the US should withdraw its funding to the entire UN, effectively closing this house of Muslim horrors.
5 years ago
We should not be funding anything. We need to take care of our country first. You cannot save anyone else until you save yourself. Like on an airplane, put the oxygen on you first then your child. We are financially suffocating. We have children here that are starving. We need to take care of our vets. etc…
5 years ago
Look at the European traitor leaders threatening with islamic violence if they don’t get their money.
Trump is truly a blessing for the entire free world.
5 years ago
” “Palestinians, wherever they live, deserve better than an endlessly crisis-driven service provision model. They deserve to be able to plan for the future.”
Do they, indeed.
They have, since long before they assumed the imaginary name of Palestinian up to the present day, had an unbending
“plan for the future.” The total destruction of Israel and the genocide of all Jews.
That plan overrides anything of a constructive nature that that might allow their betterment.
How are you going to change the brainwashed with indelible red dye, the millions of such fanatic believers?
5 years ago
Trump pokes where it hurts the most:….in their pockets..!!
5 years ago
Go Trump go..
..
5 years ago
It will not be much longer until the liberals heads explode! Trump had better triple his security because if the Muller witch-hunt does not take him down, they will have no other choice but to assassinate him.
