Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) filed legislation Tuesday to halt all funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Blackburn’s U.N. Anti-Terrorism Accountability Act of 2023 was filed ahead of President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel on Wednesday.
If enacted, Blackburn’s bill would halt all funding for the UNRWA until Iran is expelled from the U.N. and investigated for violations of the Genocide Convention, which is an international treaty that criminalizes genocide and obligates state parties to pursue the enforcement of its prohibition.
The UNRWA is funded nearly entirely by voluntary contributions from U.N. Member States. In June, the U.S. contributed $153.7 million to the fund “in support of humanitarian assistance, human development and protection of Palestine Refugees.”
Blackburn argued the UNRWA has a “history of being antisemitic and employing individuals affiliated with Hamas.” In addition, the Tennessee senator said funding contributed to the UNRWA intended for the Palestinian people has been stolen by Hamas, citing a report this week alleging the terrorist group stole fuel and medical equipment from the UNRWA.
“The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has a long history of being anti-semitic and employing individuals that are affiliated with Hamas,” Blackburn said in a video statement. “Hamas has a long history of stealing funds from the agency and using their facilities to stash weapons. Now in 2018, President Trump halted all funding to the organization. Under President Biden, he has sent $730 million to this anti-semitic organization and he’s done it knowing that there is a high risk that this money could end up going to Hamas. So, I’ve introduced legislation to halt all funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees until Iran is expelled from the U.N. and investigated for violations of the Genocide Convention.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by Marsha Blackburn.
