Republicans blast Biden, UNRWA after agency admits employees’ Oct. 7 involvement

Congressional Republicans blasted the U.N. Relief and Works Agency and the Biden administration on Friday after the U.N. agency admitted that multiple UNRWA officials had been involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The announcement prompted the administration to pause aid to the U.N. agency.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was “appalled — but unfortunately not surprised” by the revelations, given “extensive evidence that UNRWA is not a neutral arbiter, and that their anti-Israel bias is widespread and systemic.” 

He also condemned the Biden administration for restarting aid to the organization, which the Trump administration had terminated, in 2021. McCaul said that he “strongly support[s]” the new cutoff, and that “a full accounting of UNRWA’s complicity” in terrorism “is urgently needed.”

The news comes as congressional Republicans have stepped up their criticisms of the administration’s request for aid for Palestinians in Gaza as part of the emergency supplemental aid bill for Israel and other U.S. allies. The new revelations will likely add fuel to that fire.

Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the reports “unconscionable,” emphasizing that he had “warned the Biden administration” against restoring funding to UNRWA in 2021.

“Today’s news is yet another example that underscores how corrupt this organization truly is,” Risch said, arguing that the administration must push for a deeper investigation and “cease reliance on UNRWA for assistance in Gaza or risk recreating the support for terrorism that contributed to the attacks against Israel. I will do all that I can to ensure accountability for these horrific events.”

Many Republicans argued that the U.S. should permanently cut off U.S. aid to UNRWA entirely.

“Today’s news further underscores that UNRWA is an irredeemable organization that plays a critical role in Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure,” Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) said. “Biden should have never reversed the Trump administration’s decision to cut off U.S. support of UNRWA, and the State Department’s decision today to pause additional funding is not enough. We must pass the Stop Support for Hamas Act to end U.S. funding for UNRWA once and for all.”

Ricketts’ bill, with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), would also cut off any aid funding to the West Bank and Gaza until terrorist groups are “verifiably dismantled,” and further restrict U.S. funding to the West Bank even after that benchmark is met.

Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) went further, arguing that “there must be consequences and a complete overhaul of the U.N.”

Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) did not foreclose the possibility of restarting UNRWA funding at a later date once the organization is reformed, and suggested that aid could continue through other channels.

“United States funding for UNRWA should not continue until Congress and the American people have full confidence that UNRWA is not employing individuals who participate in acts of terrorism, and UNRWA facilities are not being used to support terrorism or violence against Israel,” Collins said. “The Administration needs to explain to Congress how humanitarian assistance for Gaza can continue as this serious issue is being investigated.”

Congressional Democrats, including the top Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations and the House Foreign Affairs Committees — who did not respond to requests for comment — were mostly silent in response to the news.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) expressed support for the Biden administration’s move, calling the UNRWA officials’ actions “outrageous and disappointing.”

“I appreciate the Biden Administration’s moral clarity in recognizing that UNRWA’s actions and track record do not rise to our nation’s standards,” Wasserman Schultz said. “Despite the best efforts of Congress to impose strict conditions, UNRWA employees’ continued affiliation with and support of Hamas terror, distribution of antisemitic propaganda to children, and failure to address incitement against Israel demonstrates that this organization’s leadership consistently turns a blind eye.”

A handful of pro-Israel lawmakers also weighed in on the International Court of Justice’s decision on Friday in the South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, generally denouncing the case as a whole, even as the court’s decision disappointed many anti-Israel forces.

“The ICJ’s ruling confirms what we knew all along—that South Africa’s grossly unfounded case against Israel is both false and dangerous,” Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) told Jewish Insider. “The United States and all our international partners must continue to uphold Israel’s right to exist against those who demand the absolute destruction of the Jewish state and encourage our allies to support Israel against these ongoing attempts to delegitimize and demonize our great ally.”

McCaul blasted the decision that “South Africa’s claims against Israel under the Genocide Convention are ‘plausible.’”

“South Africa’s claims are meritless, and the U.S. must continue to provide unwavering support to Israel to defend itself against the threat posed by Hamas,” he continued. “I call upon South Africa to withdraw its case before the Court and focus on upholding democratic values.”

He suggested that South Africa’s case is “politically motivated” by its ties with Hamas, Iran, Russia and China.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) likewise dismissed the foundations of the case.

“After the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, the ICJ’s case against Israel remains meritless. Like every country, Israel has the right to defend herself,” Gottheimer said. “If anyone should be accused of genocide, it’s Hamas who has promised a second, third, & fourth Oct 7.”

Critics of Israel on the Hill have been mostly mum in the wake of the international tribunal’s decision.CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mistakenly attributed co-sponsorship of Ricketts’ bill to Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), not Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). We regret the error.