The USA just cut all funding to UNRWA. BBC news (1.Sept.2018) carried this headline: “Palestinians brand US aid cut to UN group ‘a flagrant assault’.”
An “assault”?! What?! Behind this comment I see an entitlement mentality that is very deep rooted in their society. Why do the Palestinians feel that we have to support them?
And, as long as I’m asking a couple questions, here are a couple more.
Why is there a UN group (UNRWA) devoted to a refugee group of a single people, while all other refugees in the world are handled by a different UN group?
Why is UNRWA still around, and continuing to expand its own charter to include more and more Palestinians?
Why is UNRWA still active in the West Bank and Gaza when both those areas are independent Palestinian controlled and run areas?
Okay, just so you know, UNRWA is an UN group devoted solely to helping Palestinian refugees. It began formal operations on 1 May 1950, not quite two years after the surrounding Arab countries invaded the newly formed Israel (also formed by UN mandate).
Now I don’t disagree that the Palestinians need help, I just question what is really going on? There is something really fishy (to use some slang) going on. The above questions point out some of this, and the Palestinians suggestion that we (the USA) somehow ‘owe’ them support is beyond understanding.
The comment from the Palestinian leaders is consistent with the type of language they use to fire up the media to champion their cause. The phrase ‘a flagrant assault’ is an emotionally laden phrase that immediately puts most people on their side. (So why does the media fall for this and use such tactics themselves when they champion a cause?) Such emotionalism is usually used to provide a smoke screen over what is really going on.
Personally, I find UNRWA as being counter productive. There doesn’t seem to be any impetus for any of the surrounding Arab countries to absorb the Palestinians (actually, a couple countries blatantly said ‘no’) even though this is the norm for refugees from other areas. Neither is there any impetus for either the rulers of Gaza or the West Bank to set up and run a decent infrastructure as they receive so much international aid.
Yes, there is a problem. But the problem isn’t that the refugees exist and how can they be brought back to ‘their’ land; the problem is why are there still Palestinian refugees and why are they being used as pawns in the push to drive all Jews into the sea?
This is a hot topic among many so I hope to see other’s commenting!
- Yosef
Agree with you. 100%. The “refugees” are being used as pawns to steal Jewish land. The more actions done that offend them, the better.
Yes, they are being used as pawns. I’m not sure I agree with the idea of doing actions just to offend them (though you may not have been saying that). We are called to love even our enemies. That said, I don’t think that Israel should worry about whether or not their actions offend, but they shouldn’t do something just because it is offensive.
I said that in the heat of the moment (I’m sure you know what that’s like). I don’t believe in doing something purely to offend them; it’s that the stuff they get publicly offended about is always the right thing.
…quite true. And it is quite aggravating how the western world buys into their rhetoric. (I must admit that the Palestinians have some really good PR (public relations) people!) It reveals just how deeply rooted antisemitism is in our western culture even though most will deny it.