Who are they on?
Far-left Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) expressed outrage Monday over the Biden administration’s suspension of funding to a U.N. agency whose employees participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel — while a top White House spokeswoman argued the organization “is doing important work throughout the Middle East.
“Cutting support for @UNRWA – the main source of humanitarian aid to the 2 million+ residents of Gaza – is unacceptable,” Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, posted on X in response to the Biden administration’s actions on Friday against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“Among the organization’s 13,000 UN aid workers, risking millions of people starving on the weight of 12 allegations is untenable,” he added. “US should restore aid immediately.”
Meanwhile, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told NBC’s “Today” show that “UNRWA is doing important work throughout the region, certainly in Gaza.
Ocasio-Cortez was criticized for her calls to restore funding. Shutterstock
“They have helped save thousands of lives, and we should not impugn the good work of the entire agency because of the terrible and terrible allegations lobbied against a small number of their employees,” Kirby added.
At the same time that Ocasio-Cortez and Kirby made their statements, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli intelligence showed that not only did 12 UNRWA employees play an active role in the Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people — but that about 10% of the agency’s staff had ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, while half of the 12,000 cohort had a close relative who belonged to either group.
Of those involved in the October 7 attack, six reportedly took part in the attack itself while others coordinated logistics – including obtaining weapons. Two people took part in kidnapping Israelis, while two others were traced to the site where the massacre of civilians took place.
Several countries have halted funding for UNRWA amid allegations that some of its staff were linked to the Oct. 7 attack. HAITHAM IMAD/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Former President Donald Trump’s administration halted funding for UNRWA in 2018, but President Biden restored it when he took office in early 2021.
Since then, the US has sent at least $730 million to the group, despite evidence that it employs anti-Israel educators.
Seven of the 12 UNRWA workers involved in the attack were primary or secondary school teachers, according to Israeli intelligence documents.
Gunmen from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. SOPA/LightRocket image via Getty Images
The AOC came out strongly in favor of the US funding an organization that employs 1,200 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, in case there was any doubt about his stance on the issue. https://t.co/9Kzddlczbm
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungasargon) January 29, 2024
The AOC was slammed by critics on Twitter, with podcast host Noam Blum asking: “How many police departments do you call to deny a handful of highly publicized incidents?”
“The AOC comes out strongly in favor of the US funding an organization that employs 1,200 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, should there be any doubt about its stance on the issue,” said Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon.
“Dear Congressman, it’s more than ’12.’ Read today’s report in the WSJ & NYT. Support for Hamas is widespread throughout @UNRWA. And has been for years. That organization needs to be disbanded,” said former US Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.).
Dear Congressman, it is more than “12.” Read today’s report in the WSJ & NYT. Support for Hamas is widespread throughout @UNRWA. And has been for years. The organization should be dissolved. https://t.co/dm5uUWM3Oy
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) January 29, 2024
If our new standard is that allegations against low-level employees of an organization mean we cut all funding for the entire organization, there are several other entities in the region that will also be cut https://t.co/u9rySagr1N
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) January 29, 2024
“Only 12 UNRWA ‘aid workers’ killed & kidnapped Israelis. Don’t we all have 12 colleagues who kill & kidnap?” asked human rights lawyer Hillel Neuer cynically. “It’s only 1,200 UNRWA staff who are also Hamas & Islamic Jihad operatives. It was only 3,000 UNRWA teachers whose chat group celebrated the genocide on October 7.”
“Defending a UN agency that employs 1,200 terrorists is just an incredible hill to die on,” added former IDF Staff Sgt. Eitan Fischberger.
“We are only two tweets away from the AOC demanding to send military support to Hamas,” another user said. “Hell, in a way, this is the tweet.”
A representative for Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
