US envoy: Stop funding UNRWA, support peace board for Gaza
Speaking at the United Nations on 1 July, Ambassador Jeff Bartos said that donors could continue to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees or choose a framework that offered Gazans “peace, prosperity and real sustainable change.” (Credit: UNTV)
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The United Nations defended its call for countries to continue funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as the United States argued that donors should stop supporting an agency it claims has been infiltrated by Hamas and instead direct their funds toward the Security Council-backed peace board.
Speaking at UNRWA’s annual pledging conference in early July, US Ambassador Jeff Bartos accused member states of repeating a failed approach and said the agency had become “a subsidiary of Hamas”.
“Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result, is the definition of insanity,” Bartos said. “And yet, here we are again, another annual pledging conference for UNRWA. Same speeches…same condemnations of Israel, same failures to condemn Hamas.”
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UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, Gaza, February 21, 2024. (Dawood Abo Alkas/Anadolu Agency)
Bartos urged governments to stop funding UNRWA schools in Gaza, which he accused of teaching children hatred of Jews and glorifying terrorism. They also alleged that UNRWA staff had participated in the Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
“You can choose to fund incitement, terrorism and impasse, or you can choose to fund the peace board, giving Gazans a path to peace, prosperity and real, sustainable change,” Bartos said.
The Peace Board is a US-led body created to oversee Palestinian technical governance as well as transitional governance, reconstruction and long-term development under President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan. The administration argues that it provides a better alternative to UNRWA by shifting aid away from a Hamas-infiltrated system toward accountable governance and economic reform.
Asked by Fox News Digital why UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was asking countries to pour additional money into UNRWA instead of supporting the peace board, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric defended the agency’s record and mandate.
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A Palestinian woman wearing a green Hamas scarf takes part in a demonstration against the funding gap of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) outside the UNRWA Gaza headquarters in Gaza City on August 16, 2015. (The Associated Press)
Dujarric said on Wednesday that UNRWA officials, including former Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and acting chief Christian Saunders, had taken “strong action” when presented with facts related to possible infiltration by people linked to terrorist organizations.
“UNRWA does not operate through some kind of immaculate conception,” Dujarric said at a press conference. “This is because the General Assembly has given it a mandate and we will continue to fulfill that mandate. It has a very important role on the humanitarian front.”
Dujarric said the Security Council resolution supporting the peace board also calls on the United Nations to provide humanitarian assistance and lead humanitarian activities in Gaza.
“UNRWA is part of that system,” he said.
America’s position was in stark contrast to that of many European governments.
In the same pledging event, the United Kingdom announced £23 million in support of UNRWA.
British Ambassador James Kariuki called the agency “essential” to providing essential services to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
France also reiterated what its representative described as “full support” for the agency, saying that UNRWA continues to provide indispensable assistance despite increasing obstacles. France said it has provided €123 million to UNRWA through 2023 and will soon announce its 2026 contribution.
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A Palestinian man collects food from a humanitarian aid distribution point in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, July 20, 2025. (Ahmed Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The French representative said the allegations against UNRWA were taken seriously and argued that the Agency was implementing the recommendations of the Colonna Review with the intention of strengthening neutrality and transparency. France also supported the final, gradual transfer of responsibilities to UNRWA for the reform and strengthening of Palestinian institutions as part of a comprehensive political settlement.
“I agree with the statement that it feels like we are doing the same thing over and over again,” Christian Saunders, acting head of UNRWA, said during the same debate. Saunders called for “a just and permanent solution to the plight of Palestinian refugees.” He also agreed that the current system risks creating “an endless cycle of dependency”, adding that UNRWA should do more to promote livelihoods and economic opportunities so that Palestinians can “live full and meaningful lives while waiting for a political solution.” Saunders said the agency supports Security Council Resolution 2803, the Peace Board and the National Committee for Gaza Governance until authority can be transferred to the Palestinian Authority.
The funding dispute comes as UN Watch is demanding that Guterres waive any immunity enjoyed by Lazzarini, whose term in office has expired, so that national authorities can investigate allegations that he ignored repeated warnings about Hamas infiltration.
In a June 30 letter, the Geneva-based watchdog claimed it had provided Lazzarini and his administration with evidence linking teachers, school principals, union leaders and other staff who allegedly supported or were linked to Hamas and other terrorist groups. It argued that the claims form the basis for an independent criminal investigation.
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, told Fox News Digital that his organization told Lazzarini that “there are supporters of terrorism – in some cases, actual members of Hamas – working as teachers, working as school principals,” Neuer said, adding, “Not a single bad apple, not a few rotten apples, but the problem of support for terrorism … was systemic.”
Neuer said that waiving Lazzarini’s immunity would not amount to a finding of guilt, but would instead allow prosecutors to examine evidence.
“The investigation may prove that there is no evidence and it is over,” Neuer said. “But at least you should leave the flexibility to allow an investigation. The UN said if anyone was found to be involved, ‘we will cooperate.’ There is an exam now.”
Asked whether Guterres would consider waiving Lazzarini’s immunity, Dujarric did not answer directly.
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Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), at a press conference in Jerusalem on October 27, 2023. (Mustafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“As far as I know, UN Watch is not a judicial authority,” he said. “We have always cooperated with investigations by national authorities as a matter of principle.”
UN Watch’s letter argues that immunity exists to protect the interests of the United Nations rather than provide personal benefit to an official, and should be waived where it would cause obstruction of justice without harming the organization.
Fox News Digital contacted UNRWA for comment but did not receive a response.
