US Weighs Terror Sanctions On UN Refugee Agency In Explosive Shift

 

The Trump administration is weighing an unprecedented plan to slap terrorism-related sanctions on UNRWA, the UN agency that feeds, shelters and educates millions of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank and the wider region — a move insiders warn could blow a crater in the global aid system and ignite a diplomatic firestorm.

 

According to two officials with direct knowledge of the internal discussions, senior Trump-era appointees at the State Department have pushed the idea of designating UNRWA as a “foreign terrorist organization”, the same category used for ISIS and al-Qaeda. While no final decision has been made, one State Department official said “everything is on the table”, calling UNRWA a “corrupt organization with a proven track record of aiding and abetting terrorists.”

 

Washington, once UNRWA’s biggest donor, froze all funding in January 2024 after Israel accused several staff members of aiding Hamas during the 7 October 2023 attack. UNRWA insists those claims remain unproven, noting that four independent investigations — including one by the U.S. National Intelligence Council — have all concluded the agency is neutral and indispensable.

 

The legal and humanitarian stakes are enormous. An FTO designation could freeze assets, criminalise support, and potentially expose foreign governments — including close U.S. allies — to sanctions simply for funding the agency created by the UN in 1949.

Career diplomats and legal advisers inside the State Department are alarmed, warning that targeting the backbone of Gaza’s humanitarian operation during a devastating war could leave millions without food, medicine or shelter. But politically appointed Trump-aligned staff continue to drive the push behind closed doors.

 

The debate has been circulating inside the Bureau of Counterterrorism and the Policy Planning Staff, though some key officials have recused themselves pending Senate confirmation.

 

If Washington goes ahead, it would mark one of the most extreme ruptures ever between the U.S. and the United Nations — and plunge Palestinian relief efforts into uncharted chaos.

 

Key Takeaways

• Washington is seriously debating branding UNRWA a terrorist group — a staggering diplomatic escalation unprecedented in UN history.

• Career U.S. diplomats warn the move could collapse Gaza’s already-shattered humanitarian lifeline and punish key American allies.

• Trump-aligned appointees are driving the push, even as multiple investigations — including U.S. intelligence — find UNRWA remains a neutral UN body.

 

 

Source: Middle East Eye

 

 

 

 

6 minutes ago, Social Media said:

four independent investigations — including one by the U.S. National Intelligence Council — have all concluded the agency is neutral and indispensable.

So no rational basis for this latest idiot idea.

Everyone knows how supportive the US is of food, education, medical care. In other countries, this is called terrorism.