UNRWA Lobbies Hill Aides as Trump Weighs Terrorist Designation of U.N. Agency
UNRWA and its U.S. fundraising arm held a Dec. 17 video briefing for congressional staff in which officials urged them to oppose a potential Trump administration move to designate the U.N. Relief and Works Agency as a foreign terrorist organization and discussed possible steps Congress could take to override such a designation. Bill Deere, UNRWA’s Washington director, told staffers that "press reports appear to be true" that the administration is considering the unprecedented step, called it "certainly unwarranted," and warned it would set a precedent affecting the broader U.N. system. Briefers, including UNRWA USA head Mara Kronenfeld, framed the threat as part of what they called the Netanyahu government’s attempt to shut down UNRWA’s "life‑saving" work, and Sam Rose, the agency’s Gaza affairs director, emphasized that UNRWA has maintained daily services in Gaza, including primary health care, shelter and cash assistance and job‑creation programs, even as international staff are barred by Israeli legislation. The outreach comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly denounces UNRWA as effectively a Hamas subsidiary and vows it will not play any role in U.S.-backed aid to Gaza, underscoring a serious split between U.S. political leadership and a U.N. agency that has long been central to Palestinian relief. If the administration proceeds with a terrorist designation, it would be the first time Washington has applied that label to a U.N. body and could force a fundamental reworking of U.S. aid channels and relations with the U.N. system.
📌 Key Facts
- UNRWA USA organized a Dec. 17 video conference for congressional staff to discuss UNRWA’s work and a potential U.S. foreign terrorist organization designation.
- UNRWA Washington director Bill Deere said reports that the Trump administration is weighing an FTO designation are true, called it "unprecedented" and "unwarranted," and urged Hill offices to "loudly" oppose it, noting Congress could override such a move.
- Gaza affairs director Sam Rose told staff that, despite Israeli Knesset legislation barring international staff from entering Gaza, UNRWA has not stopped services for a single day and is still operating health care, shelter, water and sanitation, and cash assistance and job‑creation programs at scale, managed remotely.
- The lobbying push comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly labels UNRWA a "subsidiary of Hamas" and insists it will not play any role in delivering U.S. aid to Gaza.
📊 Relevant Data
Israeli intelligence estimates indicate that approximately 10% of UNRWA's Gaza workforce, or about 1,200 employees, have ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Fact-Checking UNRWA's “Claims Versus Facts” — UN Watch
A UN investigation concluded that nine UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, leading to their dismissal.
UNRWA provides services to approximately 1.7 million Palestine refugees in Gaza, where 81.5% of the population lives in poverty and the unemployment rate is 46.6%.
Where We Work - Gaza Strip — UNRWA
Designating UNRWA as a foreign terrorist organization would restrict its operations, freeze assets, and criminalize material support, potentially halting aid to millions of Palestinian refugees.
Exclusive: US weighs hitting UN Palestinian refugee agency with terrorism-related sanctions — Reuters
UNRWA's local hiring practices in Gaza, where Hamas controls governance and social services, contribute to staff affiliations with the group, as most employees are Palestinian residents from the area.
Gaza in-depth: Why Israel wants to end UNRWA and what its closure would mean — The New Humanitarian
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