US envoy fully backs Israeli stance against UNRWA at Security Council meeting

Breaking with the previous administration of Joe Biden, US President Donald Trump’s administration comes out in favor of Israeli legislation to sever Jerusalem’s ties with the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants, UNRWA, and to severely restrict its operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

“It is Israel’s sovereign decision to close UNRWA’s offices in Jerusalem on January 30. The United States supports the implementation of this decision,” US chargé d’affaires ad interim Dorothy Shea says in remarks during the UN Security Council’s monthly session on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Biden administration raised concerns over the extent to which Hamas has managed to infiltrate UNRWA and moved to freeze US funding to the agency following revelations that a number of its members actively participated in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

However, it came out against Congress’s decision to extend that freeze to this coming March, when lawmakers are expected to maintain the hold indefinitely.

Biden officials argued that UNRWA plays too essential of a role in Gaza’s humanitarian operations, and that it therefore should not be shuttered. It is behind many logistical aspects of aid delivery, including storage and transport.

The Knesset legislation passed in the fall also bars Israeli officials from any contact with UNWRA, which the agency says will lead to the collapse of its operations in Gaza and the West Bank where coordination with Israeli authorities is essential.

Israel after passing the legislation said it would work with international organizations to ensure that a vacuum in the humanitarian effort would not be created by UNRWA’s departure, but Israeli officials have acknowledged to The Times of Israel that those preparations have not yet been completed as the law comes into place.

These concerns were not voiced by Trump’s interim envoy at the UN, who echoed Israeli stances questioning the UN’s objectivity.

“We are concerned about reports that returned Israeli hostages were held by Hamas in UN facilities during their prolonged captivity in Gaza. It is vital for a full and independent investigation to assess these very serious allegations,” Shea says. “Unfortunately, this follows a pattern of serious allegations on the misuse of UN facilities – particularly UNRWA facilities – by Hamas terrorists.”

She goes on to criticize UNRWA for “exaggerating the effects” of the Knesset legislation by “irresponsibly and dangerously… suggesting that they will force the entire humanitarian response to halt.”

“What is needed is a nuanced discussion about how we can ensure that there is no interruption in the delivery of humanitarian aid and essential services,” the US envoy says.