New House bill would bar United States from donating to UNRWA

Representative Chris Smith (R-N.J.) introduced legislation on Thursday to prohibit the United States from donating to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Smith, co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, stated that he has been “sounding the alarm on UNRWA and its longstanding record of antisemitism and Jew-hatred” for over 23 years. He asserted that “UNRWA is antisemitic from top to bottom” and “teaches Palestinian children to hate Jews, essentially functioning as a child soldier factory” through its textbooks and materials. The bill specifies that other agencies receiving U.S. humanitarian assistance would not be cut off, provided the Secretary of State certifies they do not promote violence, terrorism, or antisemitism. This follows earlier legislation introduced by Representatives Lawler and Gottheimer to dismantle UNRWA entirely.