WITHHOLD UNRWA Funds Congressmen Tell Condi Rice

Apparently there are SOME people in Congress that care about what is good for the country. Rep. Mark Kirk, Rep. Joe Knollenberg and Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher sent the letter below to Condi Rice asking her to withhold funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) because of the Agency's participation in terroist training and promotion. Hat TIP IMRA

The following letter to Secretary Rice and accompanying Dear Colleague
letter was just released by Rep. Mark Kirk, Rep. Joe Knollenberg and Rep.
Ellen O. Tauscher.

December 11, 2007
HOLD U.S. ASSISTANCE TO WEST BANK/GAZA AND LEBANON ACCOUNTABLE
Sign a Bipartisan Letter to Secretary Rice
Dear Colleague:
Earlier this year, the President requested $35 million in supplemental
appropriations for terrorist-controlled areas through the United National
Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). This funding would be primarily used for funding camps in Lebanon and Gaza through "Emergency Cash" programs.

On March 16, 2007, the New York Times exposed a new al-Qaeda cell, Fatah al-Islam, organizing, training and plotting attacks against the United
States from an UNRWA-administered and run camp in Lebanon.
On April 25, 2007, the UNRWA Representative in New York, Andrew Whitley, revealed to congressional staff that UNRWA provided Cash Assistance to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

On October 29, 2007, video surveillance conducted at an UNRWA-run school in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, showed Palestinian terrorists launching rockets from the schoolyard toward homes in Israel. With terror camps in Lebanon, de-facto martyr payments and rocket-launchings from UNRWA administered schools in Gaza, we should demand greater accountability for U.S. taxpayer assistance to these programs. We need a comprehensive, independent audit conducted by an internationally recognized auditing firm outside of the Palestinian-U.N. structure.

Please join us in sending a bipartisan letter to Secretary Rice calling for
an independent audit of UNRWA's Lebanon, Gaza and Cash Assistance programs. To sign onto the letter please contact Richard Goldberg (Kirk) at 5-4835, Lindsay Lee (Knollenberg) 5-5802 or Simon Limage (Tauscher) at 5-1880.

Sincerely,
Mark Steven Kirk Joe Knollenberg Ellen O. Tauscher
Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of

Congress
December XX, 2007
Secretary Rice
Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
We write to you today with concerns regarding your request of $35 million in supplemental appropriations for programs in terrorist-controlled areas run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

In your request you indicate these funds will be used for camps in Lebanon
and Gaza, and for Cash Assistance. We urge you to approve an internationally- recognized independent auditing firm outside of the United
Nations structure, and present a comprehensive plan assuring us that these camps will not house and fund terrorists in violation of Section 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act. Terror Camps in Lebanon
On March 16, 2007, the New York Times exposed a new al-Qaeda cell, Fatah al-Islam, organizing, training and plotting attacks against the United
States from an UNRWA camp in Lebanon. The group is led by Shakir al-Abssi who was sentenced to death in-absentia by a Jordanian court in 2004 along with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for the 2002 assassination of Laurence Foley, a senior administrator at the United States Agency for International Development.

We question approving millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars for terror camps in
Lebanon. With both UNRWA and the Government of Lebanon abdicating
responsibility for camp security and administration, we cannot ensure
compliance with U.S. law, specifically Section 301(c) of the Foreign
Assistance Act.

Taxpayer-Funded Martyr Payments
UNRWA's Cash Assistance program raises serious concerns. On April 25, 2007, the UNRWA Representative in New York, Andrew Whitley, revealed to our staff that UNRWA provided Cash Assistance to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. We were surprised that U.S. taxpayer dollars are financing de-facto martyr payments in the West Bank and Gaza.
To date, we have not received a response on how UNRWA ensures Cash
Assistance does not go directly to members or immediate family of Hamas
terrorists. We question a program in which independent auditors are not
allowed to determine whether millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars are provided
as martyr payments or direct cash assistance to terrorists.

Hamas Run Gaza Camps
On October 29, 2007, video surveillance conducted at an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun clearly shows Palestinian terrorists launching rockets toward homes in Israel from the UNRWA schoolyard. The video link can be found here:
http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=1401718&ak=null.
Instead of sending U.S. taxpayer funds to support Hamas-run camps teaching hatred against Jews, Israelis and Americans, we should commoditize our assistance to Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
Widespread Financial Integrity Problems

On October 10, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly criticized UNRWA for its failure to implement financial integrity reforms recommended by its own Board of Auditors: "Noting that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has implemented only nine of the Board's 34 recommendations, the ACABQ encouraged that agency to expedite implementation."
Support an Independent Audit of UNRWA
The United States remains the largest state contributor to UNRWA. Since
1950, the U.S. taxpayer has provided UNRWA with more than one billion
dollars. We are asked to continue a policy in which the United States is
the largest single-country donor to UNRWA even though its staff directly
prohibits an independent, international audit to ensure full compliance with
U.S. antiterrorism laws, especially Section 301 (c) of the Foreign
Assistance Act. With al-Qaeda cells operating in UNRWA-administered camps in Lebanon, Hamas terrorists firing rockets at Israeli homes from UNRWA schoolyards in Gaza, U.S. taxpayer assistance provided as cash payments with no verification of eligibility under U.S. law, and failure to comply with recommendations of its own U.N. Board of Auditors, we urge you to commission an independent audit of UNRWA's accounts to ensure U.S. taxpayer assistance is not provided to or used to benefit members of foreign terrorist organizations in violation of Section 301(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act (Ref A).
Sincerely,

Ref A: In section 301(c) of the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act (PL 87-195) as
amended, Congress has directed that "No contributions by the United States shall be made to [UNRWA] except on the condition that [UNRWA] take all possible measures to assure that no part of the United States contribution shall be used to furnish assistance to any refugee who is receiving military training as a member of the so-called Palestine Liberation Army or any other guerrilla type organization or who has engaged in any act of terrorism."

Richard A. Goldberg
Appropriations Associate
Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (IL-10)
1030 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-4835 Fax: 202-225-0837