This is not about cutting food money, contrary to the lies of Husam Zumlot and others. The UNRWA has multiple links to jihad terror. It is a viciously corrupt and dishonest organization, bent on enabling the jihad against Israel and willing to lie brazenly in the process. Every penny of U.S. aid should be withheld from the UNRWA, permanently.
“US State Department withholds additional $45 million from UNRWA,” Times of Israel, January 19, 2018:
The United States will not provide $45 million that it had pledged last month to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Reuters reported a State Department spokesman as saying Thursday.
The announcement came days after Washington withheld a separate $65 million, arguing that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) needed a “fundamental re-examination.”
The money was meant for food aid as part of the West Bank/Gaza Emergency Appeal led by UNRWA last month.
The funds had originally been pledged by State Department Comptroller Eric Hembree in a December 15 letter to UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl, Reuters said.
“The United States plans to make this funding available to UNRWA in early 2018,” the letter said. “An additional letter and contribution package confirming this contribution will be sent by or before early January 2018.”
Explaining the decision to withhold the cash, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters Thursday that the $45 million was not a guarantee.
“At this time, we will not be providing that, but that does not mean — I want to make it clear — that does not mean that it will not be provided in the future,” Nauert said.
“Money coming in from other countries needs to increase as well to continue paying for all those refugees,” she said, adding that the UN agency needed to reform.
On Wednesday, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit charged that the US decision to freeze the funding was aimed at wiping out the whole issue of Palestinian refugees.
“This decision affects the education and health of Palestinians and aims to eradicate the question of refugees,” Gheit said at a conference in Cairo about Jerusalem.
Washington is the largest contributor to the UN agency.
UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness warned Wednesday that “this dramatically reduced contribution results in the most severe funding crisis in the history of the agency.”
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the freeze amounted to “cruelty” toward an “innocent and vulnerable population.”
The Palestinian envoy to Washington, Husam Zomlot, said, “Palestinian refugees and children’s access to basic humanitarian services, such as food, health care and education, is not a bargaining chip but a US and international obligation.”…
mortimer says
At last, a sensible president doing what the people want! If international aid money is going into the pockets of terrorists, then stop paying the terrorists. The terrorism will dry up. What could be a simpler idea? By handing $100 billion to the Iranian mullahocracy, Obama funded one of the greatest terrorist organizations in the world and one self-declared as the mortal enemy of the US and Israel. How illogical was that?
Terry Gain says
I didn’t expect less from that Muslim.
Andy says
Who Trump missed in the Fake News Awards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsil2HP0-NA
CRUSADER says
In that other post reference about UNRWA (above)
GravenImage commented:
have you heard of “Pallywood”? This is where “Palestinians” make fake videos where the “victims” appear in several roles in the same video, or where the “injured” and even the “dead” get up and walk away when they think they are off camera–all done to smear Israel.
Another commented:
UNRWA means:
“United Nations Religious Warfare Agency”
Buraq says
@ Crusader
Or : United Nations Rocket Warehousing Agency!
gravenimage says
Hi, CRUSADER. Yes, i know all about “Pallywood”, and have written about that sickening phenomenon here.
In fact, one of my first long comments–back in 2006–here was about a “Pallywood” staged tableau that obviously referred to images of the Pietà–and where the “victim” got up and walked away in subsequent footage.
I hate this fake victimhood.
Lu says
Illogical … tantamount to high treason according to some. Prove it and take it to the courts – almost impossible.
History will evaluate this in 50 – 100 years. Might be too late for posterity.
Ren says
Illogic is not at play here. It is stupidy.
p bay says
Una excludes Christians….. The Pal $$ goes to terrorism. If they need help let the Saudis do it.. They can take the $$ from what they spend on putting Allah in our schoolbooks.
p bay says
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. UNRWA’s operations (2015) Abbreviation. UNRWA.
The UN is run by muslims so NO money should be going there
J D S says
Special thanks to President Trump. More and more should be done to insure that not even one dollar of our governments money (tax payers dollars) is going to fund TERRORIST. In fact non of our dollars should be going to these Muslim countries….I do feel sorry for those who are impoverished but the main reason they are impoverished is ISLAM itself (government and religion combined) it will drain coffers of funds
needed to help its citizens simply because the religion, and monies needed to run it, will be misused, promoting the religion.
elee says
As a secular liberal of strong conviction I rejoice. Enough duplicitous Muslim antiSemitism. Enough international welfare subsidies for people who want to destroy us and our freedoms.
Terry Gain says
Muslims are closely aligned with others who want to destroy our freedoms, to wit: secular liberals.
gravenimage says
Not all secular liberals are like this, Terry.
StellaSaidSo says
Secularism simply means the separation of church and state. In a secular society, government institutions and persons engaged in government are separate from religious institutions & leaders of same. For some peculiar reason, many people seem to think that secularism is synonymous with the absence of belief in gods. It has nothing to do with religious belief itself, but with belief in the equal right of citizens to worship (or not) as they see fit, free of govt interference. Most Christians are secularists.
eduardo odraude says
Actually, my sense is that the term is ambiguous because it can mean either 1) the waning of religion and the rise of “modernity” in society or 2) the distinction between religion and state.
The message of the central figure depicted in the Gospels points toward secularism in sense #2, but not in sense #1. “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, to God the things that are God’s.” And, “my kingdom is not of this world.” Also JC’s reputed statement that those among the disciples who wished to be truly greatest would not lord over others but would serve others and wash their feet. These statements and others, and the centrality of love in the message of JC, led eventually to secularization in sense #2.
StellaSaidSo says
The term is not ambiguous. The fact that it is widely misused does not endow it with an additional or alternative definition.
eduardo odraude says
I’m afraid reference sources disagree with you. For example:
Merriam-Webster:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secularism
secularism:
indifference to or rejection or exclusion of religion and religious considerations
eduardo odraude says
Or Encyclopedia Brittanica:
Secularism, any movement in society directed away from otherworldliness to life on earth.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/secularism
So the meaning is not just separation of religion and state. More general meanings are not a “misuse” of the term.
eduardo odraude says
Again, StellaSaidSo, here is a scholarly article in which “secularization” clearly has a broader meaning than separation of religion and state, while sometimes including that meaning.
http://thecresset.org/2014/Lent/Thuswaldner_L14.html
Please show me a single authoritative source that declares the broader use of the term a “misuse.”
StellaSaidSo says
My source is the OED, which does not include the ‘definitions’ that you mention. Meanings do change thru common usage – which often begins as misuse – over time. Unfortunately, too often, to the detriment of precision.
eduardo odraude says
I don’t know if this is a difference between British and American English.
Here is a link to a webpage with links to more than a dozen dictionary definitions of “secularism” — most of them include the general meaning of non-religiousness as well as the meaning referring to separation of religion and state.
https://onelook.com/?w=secularism&ls=a
That page has includes a link to an Oxford University dictionary (not the OED though), which shows the definition you mention of “secularism,” but if instead of “secularism” you check the same dictionary for “secular”, you find that “secular” includes the broader meaning.
Another way to study this is through the Google books search feature, looking for the word “secularism”. That pulls up a list of books using the term, and one can often click on the university press books, check the author’s way of using the word, but it can take a while sometimes to ferret out conclusions that way.
eduardo odraude says
While it’s true that meanings often change through misuse of words, and to the detriment of precision, I imagine you are well aware of all that follows in the paragraph, that you are aware for example that it is also the case that language would be essentially destroyed if one were to require that meanings be overly “precise” and if one were able to rule out change and “misuse,” as annoying as misuse can sometimes be. But sometimes “misuse” is imaginative extension of meaning. Metaphor is a great example of “imprecision” that expands the meaning of words and reveals new aspects of reality. As far as I can tell, people thinking at the leading edge of a subject sometimes disdains to go to dictionaries to establish the “precise” meanings of terms, because at the leading edge it is sometimes the very meanings of various terms that are in dispute and becoming controversial, insofar as the underlying realities are in dispute at the margins of our knowledge. Without change and extension of meanings, language would die, and it would not even be language properly so-called. Anyway, I still think it is inaccurate to say that all the dictionaries that define “secularism” to include the broader meaning I have described are “misusing” the term. The use I am talking about is common among published scholars as well. Then again, maybe British English is different and restricted to the definition you say.
eduardo odraude says
“disdains” should read “disdain”
Westman says
Bu, buu, but think of how little “very sad” Muslimas will be deprived of the money to buy hijabs for their dolls!
http://www.forgoodpgh.org/hello-hijab/
Instead of being preoccupied with welfare-financed doll playing, they will be collecting rocks for their brothers to throw at Jews.
See! Witholding money from terrorist’s wives and progeny can have serious consequences.
gravenimage says
Yup.
Abu Nudnik says
The refugees of the 48 war are not refugees, long having found refuge amidst their neighbors who refuse them citizenship. UNRWA was founded to foment discord between those people and the Israelis. It is the single greatest obstacle to peace and its no. 1 reason for existence is its own existence itself. Most institutions are like that. Peace with Israel means no more jobs for UNRWA officials. That’s why they actively participate or otherwise turn a blind eye to terrorism.
But that’s only half the ugly story. Without Israel, they’d cease to exist too. Think about that. UNRWA needs to be starved to death. Whenever I wonder about the President’s health, things like this show he really gets what the world is like.
gravenimage says
All good analysis.
Terry Gain says
Wow. Not funding the enemies of western civilization. What a concept.
Lu says
What a concept … and all what we needed is this “billionaire at the barricades”. Trumpism will be once viewed as a political movement of sorts, ideology even maybe. It is so simple, though:
1. Call a spade a spade
2. Show finger to whomever has been screwing you and taking advantage of you
3. Side with the forces that built the West and reject the invaders and clear enemies thereof
4. Recognize the Fifth column and name it what it is – parallel society hating us beyond measure
… and many more.
In 100 years, could be interesting read about our 2010’s. Assuming there is still a civilization as we know it.
Andy says
GREAT!!
God Bless President TRUMP!! I hope one day, I could meet President Trump and shake his hand and say ON behalf of ALL WESTERN DEMOCRACIES. We the people, THANK YOU AND THANK GOD!!
MAGA!!
Andy says
Advice for Immigrants: America comes first
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OeJzra75MY
Andy says
General Douglas MacArthur: DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY!
“Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgqSI1BESVE
Andy says
*URGENT* American Patriots should be pissed off today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU9W6Ma_Jb0
Johnny Cuyana says
Every kid in grade school knows that you do not give into bullies; that is, all but the kids who, out of absolute fright, are crapping in their pants.
Today, give the bully some of your lunch money and tomorrow, she will ask for double, because she recognizes weakness and gravitates toward same; and, conversely, she does not go after those who fight back. Bullies have nothing but contempt for those scared surrendering souls; and, there is no difference on the international level.
Finally, we have a Commander-in-Chief who recognizes this basic undeniable truth of life: bullies respect only the “strong horse”!
Here’s my one vote for supporting POTUS Trump’s fantastic efforts in this matter, his continuation of projecting this most important message, of his pursuit of truth and peace via reasonable means, to the remainder of the FREE world, and for him to continue to say NO to any and all such bullies.
bodega says
Shall we lay bets on whether “reform” will occur?
I am very pleased by the withdrawal of this money. My god, look at our destitute cities with their muslim populations and tell me why we aren’t spending it here instead of there?
Elizabeth Lawson says
A long and overdue step by the truly responsible government of Donald Trump. Hod DID a known terrorist organization bamboozle any government, and in particular, the US government into funding terrorists – even through the back door of that corrupt, defunct organization, the U.N.?
WorkingClassPost says
It’s a tragic indictment of the world today, that not actually paying people to commit murder is considered a victory (of sorts).
One day people will look back at all this and laugh.
CRUSADER says
If that’s how UNRWA slants….then it really is vicious and deceitful.
* * * * * * * * * * *
COWBOY UP,
Mr President !!!
Lady L says
Why stop short? Cut off ALL funding to UN
PsychoBob says
…and boot them out of NYC.
gravenimage says
Still a good first step.
Granddaddy says
I agree totally. What I don’t understand is why anybody thinks we owe these people anything. They hate us and want us all dead. They’re liars and can’t be trusted with anything. And now some moron in the UN says, “this dramatically reduced contribution results in the most severe funding crisis in the history of the agency.” Like we’re responsible for the refugees coming out of these shithole countries. Does anybody in the UN look at this and say “Maybe these people are responsible for their own problems”? No they don’t, and that’s because they’re all a bunch of liars and cowards and crooks and they’re being paid off. What good is the UN for anyone but the OIC?
Good for Trump!
StellaSaidSo says
Well said, Granddaddy.
David Rasch says
If the warrior class is feeding children, they will starve because war trumps(!) food in the topsy-turvy world of islamism.
IQ al Rassooli says
It should have been obvious for the last 70 years that ALL UN resolutions since 1949 are legally redundant and INVALID for the simple reason that the Arabs who were given the chance for a TWO states solution in British Mandated Palestine by UN Resolution 181 in 1947 decided to start a war of EXTERMINATION against the newly born state of Israel
This was the FIRST ACT of WAR that the UN was created to avert, thus the Arabs ABROGATED (made Null and Void) the UN resolution and its terms and conditions allowing the creation of a Two States solution including ALL articles regarding Jerusalem
The Arabs started the war and LOST and now they (like ALL Muslims) whine and pretend to be VICTIMS of aggression
What Arabs (mythical palestinians) call NAKBA / Catastrophe (their failure to exterminate Israelis) and the ‘refugees’ resulted because the Arabs acted in AGGRESSION against the State of Israel and lost; but of course from the WARPED and irrational minds of Arabs and Muslims, this must be overlooked and they should absurdly be allowed to go back once again to UN resolution 181
Had the Arabs NOT started the war of annihilation against Israel, there would have been NO Refugees problem; the Arabs have only themselves to blame for their utter defeats, humiliations and stupidity and no one else
By the way, over 40 million refugees had to find a new life between 1945 and 1950, but ONLY the Arab ‘refugees’ have been helped (mostly by CHRISTIAN countries) for the last 70 years and there has never been any mention of or financial aid to over 855,000 JEWISH refugees forced out of their native lands by Arabs and Muslims
UNRWA has been and continues to be the most corrupt and foremost supporter of Islamic terror in the UN
May God Bless and Protect the USA and Trump for at last standing up for Truth, Justice and Morality
IQ al Rassooli
Kafir & Proud!
gravenimage says
Good post.
CRUSADER says
Excellent post and commentary.
Wished I had done so myself.
Good writing.
Lu says
Excellent summary; that should be taught in our schools. The Truth Prevails. Veritas vincit.
gravenimage says
More winning: Trump administration withholds additional $45 million from jihad terror-linked UNRWA
…………………………
*Excellent* news!
bat 21 says
Good news for the USA! More bad news for Canada! Justin Trudeau reinstated $25 million in funding to UNRWA, this was after the Harper government scrapped all funding in 2010.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Our honorable Liberals will no doubt dig deeply into our pockets, and make up the difference.
LeftisruiningCanada says
“The Palestinian envoy to Washington, Husam Zomlot, said, “Palestinian refugees and children’s access to basic humanitarian services, such as food, health care and education, is not a bargaining chip but a US and international obligation.”…”
Disgusting liar. What a bunch of pathetic welfare addicted beggars.
“Obligation” is it? Like Jizya?
PsychoBob says
Cut off the UNRWA cement shipments as well, & watch the terror tunnels cave in. Heh, heh, heh …..
eduardo odraude says
I gather is now starting to build underground walls! Presumably to stop the tunneling of these lunatic murderers.
brane pilot says
The UNRWA and similar UN organizations blatantly serve the interests of Islamists and Islamic states.
They can pay for it, and they can afford it.
Z says
How about instead we use that money to get rid of the national debt?
Ashley says
OT…
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rep-scott-perry-isis-las-vegas-shooting_us_5a620b1ee4b0125fd6361768
I’m encouraged this story is now resurfacing…
CRUSADER says
And why, Ashley, is it that you encouraged by this resurfacing news??
Manny says
How is providing this money a US obligation? It’s time to get off the welfare dime and become self sufficient.
dsinc says
True, charity starts at home.
dsinc says
UNRWA has been massively inflating the numbers of “refugees” they are supporting to keep the free cash flowing into their coffers. They have probably been doing this for years. I hope President Trump totally stops funding UNRWA. They are corrupt anti Israel parasites.
WPM says
If Jordan and other Moslem countries let their people resettle back into their native lands there would be no “Palestinian problem” why do the other Moslem countries not provide food ,medical supplies ,teachers doctors, teachers , to help build schools ,hospitals , roads, for the refugee of this place they call” Palestine ” .Why is Israel and the Western world always ponying up, sending money to buy food when these people either have their own leaders stealing the money into overseas accounts , or buying rockets and bullets with it. I thank God I voted for Trump I do not like the idea of giving money to people who only mission in life is to kill me and my family.
common sense says
There have been stalls and mistakes by Trump’s admin on how it relates to Islamic terror, doctrine and immigration and it took 6 months or more to straighten out the ugly leaking, back stabbing original cabinet. Much of it due to judicial progressives obstruction and I think General McMaster’s ignorance of islam that General Mike Flynn understood.
I’m very proud of all of Trump’s accomplishments domestically and foreign affairs have taken a momentary back seat in the face of this fisa memo that needs to be released that has some Senators (that had access to read it) in disbelief.
In addition 167 of Hillary Clintons emails have been recovered by Judicial Watch detailing her full knowledge of classified information coming and going from her illegal server. The fake dossier and Uranium One also loom heavily.
Identifying and exposing the truth is beyond vital for Americans. The guilty need to be charged and their cohorts brought to heel in which case I would pray that Americans can understand what happened and move onward without more shots fired other than a few “I told ya so”.
CRUSADER says
I wish all of that were indeed “common sense”….
eduardo odraude says
Condition aid on the establishment of a democratically elected government and real freedom of religion and free press among the Palestinians. They haven’t had an election in a long time and apparently have no plans for one.
Condition aid on ending Palestinian television shows that teach children Israelis are apes and pigs to be hated and killed.
Condition aid on an end to terrorism against civilians and ending the Pal government’s financial rewards to terrorist murderers of civilians including children.
Condition aid on a public acknowledgement that Israel has a right to exist. Condition aid on “Palestinian” willingness to negotiate peace.
Give aid to individual “Palestinian” families in exchange for their resettlement in existing Arab nations (such as Jordan) as citizens.
Infidel says
I can tell U a formula by which Donald Trump can become the DARLING OF THE FAKE MEDIA… aka MSM.. From now on.. he should ALLOW ISLAMIC TERROR to go on without any impediments just like his predecessor OBAMA did…and NOT TAKE ANY ACTION against mad Jehaadis and their sponsoring nations like Pak, Palestine, and other mad Arab Islamic countries. Of course, he should also take a very HARSH stance on both Jewish Israel and Hindu India and he will become the darling of the world.!!!
Sarah says
“This is not about cutting food money, contrary to the lies of Husam Zumlot and others. The UNRWA has multiple links to jihad terror. It is a viciously corrupt and dishonest organization, bent on enabling the jihad against Israel and willing to lie brazenly in the process.”
Honestly Mr Spencer, I’m beginning to believe that there isn’t a single arm or offshoot of the UN (including the primary organization itself) that isn’t either completely beholden to, or indirectly tied in some way, to the interests of jihad terror.
The UN has been infiltrated by Islam. It no longer represents a collective of united nations. Unless one would consider those nations united in promoting the interests of Islam.
I’d be more than happy to see either the UN and every one of its arms disbanded altogether, OR, every OIC nation forcibly removed from the council and any and all funding, allocated for any purpose, denied from any OIC nation or indeed, any nation with an Islamic majority (or population of Muslims higher than 20%) that requires assistance and support.
I will never forgive the Australian Labor Party for essentially using our money to buy our way into the UN. Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard were just so damn proud of doing that. May they both rot, for it.
Baucent says
Unlikely to be a problem as the EU countries give the Palestinian Authority far more, all un-audited of course so how much is siphoned off to the Swiss Bank accounts of PA officials is anyone’s guess.
p bay says
UNRWA means:
“United Nations Religious Warfare Agency”
What they call it: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. UNRWA’s operations (2015) Abbreviation. UNRWA.
j_not_a says
If you Google “palestinians” and “obesity” you will get many articles that come up, even wiki!, that state Palistinians have the eighth highest obesity rate in the world; men at 23.9% and women at 42.5%.
Cutting food aid would actually be doing them a favour. And they need do get off their fat assets and do some real work, instead of sitting around all day and blaming all their woes on the jooooos……
j_not_a says
“asses” stupid autocorrect. Their fat “assets” are only so in that they get them lots of free money for sitting on them and doing jackshit except excessivebreeding.
j_not_a says
Anytime some dumbass pali sympathizer beats and whines about “pali starvation” and “genocide” by the big bad Israelis” I point to the plentitude of evidence regarding the aforementioned pali obesity stats and the fact that the pali population has exploded such that they have tripled in numbers in the last twenty years.
If the Jews are so determined to “starve” and “genocide” the poor palis, they really suck at it.
j_not_a says
“bleats”
Golem2 says
The UNRWA is an absolute scam. Why should the U.S. help a “people” that will not help themselves?
sidney penny says
The Palestinian envoy to Washington, Husam Zomlot, said, “Palestinian refugees and children’s access to basic humanitarian services, such as food, health care and education, is not a bargaining chip but a US and international obligation.”…
Why is it a US obligation?
Why not get the money from Qatar?
Brenda says
Palestine bares the brunt of providing basic humanitarian services to it’s refugees and children NOT THE US OR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
The POL should have kept it’s mouth shut. They had absolutely no right to criticize President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
David established Jerusalem as the capital of Israel after he conquered the Jebusites in 1000BCE.
The Palestinian Authority has no right to use foreign aid to pay terrorist to kill Israeli and/or American citizens nor to support the families of terrorists.