UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024

Bill: 118-s-5388
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]
Introduced: 2024-11-21
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2024-11-21
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5388 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 21, 2024 Mr. Welch (for himself, Mr. Sanders , Mr. Van Hollen , Ms. Klobuchar , and Ms. Hirono ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To restore funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024 . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a catastrophic emergency level, with at least 2,000,000 Palestinian civilians suffering daily due to a lack of access to basic necessities of life caused by the escalating conflict. (2) In October 2024, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification's Famine Review Committee concluded— (A) the entire Gaza Strip is in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) acute food insecurity; and (B) there is a risk of famine for the entire Gaza Strip between November 2024 and April 2025. (3) Since 1949, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (referred to in this Act as UNRWA ) has played a vital and central role in providing shelter, education, healthcare, and financial assistance to millions of Palestinians living in vulnerable refugee communities in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. (4) UNRWA’s aid operations are essential to meeting the humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians living in Gaza and elsewhere. (5) Following allegations of direct involvement by fewer than 20 UNRWA employees in the devastating terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini acted swiftly and decisively, fully cooperating with Israeli authorities, publicly disclosing the allegations, and immediately terminating all the employees who may have been involved. These fewer than 20 employees represent a small percentage of the approximately 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza and UNRWA’s total workforce of approximately 30,000. (6) United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres took additional action, including— (A) launching an investigation into the allegations by the United Nation’s highest oversight body, the Office of Internal Oversight Services; and (B) creating an Independent Review Group, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to assess whether UNRWA is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious neutrality breaches. (7) In April 2024, the Independent Review Group— (A) concluded that UNRWA— (i) has established a significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with humanitarian principles with an emphasis on the principle of neutrality; (ii) already possesses a more developed approach to neutrality than other similar United Nations entities or nongovernmental organizations; and (iii) recommended additional steps to strengthen neutrality policies, all of which UNRWA immediately agreed to fully implement. (8) UNRWA has implemented a High-Level Action Plan to implement the Independent Review Group’s recommendations. As of September 2024— (A) 2 recommendations have been fully implemented; (B) 17 recommendations are in progress; and (C) the timeline for implementing the remaining recommendations is outlined in UNRWA’s related High-Level Action Plan, which articulates specific actions and resource requirements. (9) On October 28, 2024, Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller declared— (A) UNRWA plays an irreplaceable role right now in Gaza, where they are on the front lines getting humanitarian assistance to the people that need it. There’s nobody that can replace them right now in the middle of the crisis. ; and (B) UNRWA plays an important role providing services to Palestinians in the West Bank and throughout the region as well. . (10) On November 12, 2024, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, confirmed, UNRWA’s role has been vital as the frontline of this humanitarian response. The Agency facilitates approximately 80 percent of humanitarian aid in Gaza. . (11) Following the decisive actions taken by the United Nations and the commitments made by UNRWA toward additional reforms, major member-state supports of UNRWA, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Japan, France, Switzerland, Canada, The Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Austria, Finland, Iceland, Romania, and Estonia have resumed their funding to UNRWA. (12) Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and Belgium have since provided resources to UNRWA beyond their original commitments. (13) The United States, which has historically been the largest funder of UNRWA, plays a pivotal role in supporting UNRWA’s critical mission. (14) Properly vetted funding for UNRWA remains in the comprehensive strategic interests of the United States and its allies. (15) In an October 13, 2024 letter to the State of Israel Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, and the State of Israel Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned that 2 draft bills being considered by the Knessett would devastate the Gaza humanitarian response and could have implications under relevant U.S. law and policy . (16) On October 19, 2024, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, expressed concerns about these 2 draft bills at the United Nations Security Council Briefing on the Middle East, and stated there is no alternative to UNRWA when it comes to delivering food and other life-saving aid in Gaza . (17) On October 28, 2024, the Israel Knesset approved these 2 bills, which bar UNRWA from operating in Israel and will drastically curtail UNRWA operations in the West Bank and Gaza. (18) On November 1, 2024, the world’s leading humanitarian coordination forum, known as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, declared that implementation of the Knesset legislation would be a catastrophe for the humanitarian response in Gaza, diametrically opposed to the United Nations Charter, with potential dire impacts on the human rights of the millions of Palestinians depending on UNRWA’s assistance … there is no alternative to UNRWA. . (19) If UNRWA cannot operate in the occupied Palestinian territory, the responsibility for providing services to Palestinians, and for bearing the cost of these services, will lie not with the United Nations, but with Israel. 3. Statement of policy Congress— (1) recognizes that preventing further erosion of civilian conditions in Gaza remains in the strategic and moral interests of the United States; (2) supports UNRWA’s unique and indispensable contribution to immediately addressing urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, especially in mitigating and stopping the spread of famine and disease; (3) reaffirms the imperative of UNRWA’s continued provision of humanitarian and human development services to Palestinian refugees in all its current fields of operation, including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem); (4) urges the Government of Israel to assist UNRWA in its neutrality efforts by providing names, information, and evidence UNRWA can use to aggressively pursue allegations related to staff violations of UNRWA’s neutrality policies; (5) urges the President— (A) to join United States allies in restoring funding to UNRWA in response to the responsible actions taken by the United Nations and the commitments made by UNRWA toward additional accountability and transparency; and (B) to ensure continued funding to UNRWA is assessed based on UNRWA’s ongoing execution of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group, led by Catherine Colonna; (6) recognizes the implementation of some of the Independent Review Group's recommendations will require United Nations member state cooperation, including additional funding; (7) urges the United States and Israel to assist UNRWA in its implementation efforts of the Independent Review Group's recommendations; and (8) supports appropriating critical funds to UNRWA for fiscal year 2025 and beyond. 4. Restoration of funding for UNRWA (a) In general Beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act— (1) title III of division G of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 ( Public Law 118–47 ) is hereby repealed; (2) section 308 of the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 (division A of Public Law 118–50 ) is hereby repealed; and (3) notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of State shall, as soon as practicable— (A) rescind the temporary pause in funding for UNRWA described in the press statement entitled Statement on UNRWA Allegations issued on January 26, 2024; and (B) resume the provision of funding to UNRWA under current authorities of the Department of State. (b) Reports Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter through December 31, 2027, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees of jurisdiction describing the steps UNRWA is taking to implement the recommendations made by the Independent Review Group, led by Catherine Colonna.