UNRWA: Time to Close the Terrorist Daycare?

Picture this: Yahya Sinwar, one of Hamas’ most notorious leaders, walks around with a pack of Mentos, some cash, and… the expired passport of an UNRWA employee. Is this the beginning of a bad joke? No, it’s just another day in the tragic comedy of UNRWA, the United Nations agency that was supposed to help Palestinians but ended up playing hide-and-seek with terrorists.

When Israel caught a Hamas commander employed by UNRWA, it wasn’t exactly shocking.

When Israel caught a Hamas commander employed by UNRWA, it wasn’t exactly shocking. According to Israeli documents, at least 440 UNRWA employees are Hamas terrorists. Another 2,000 are registered Hamas operatives. UNRWA staff meetings must feel like a family reunion—with rockets and homemade flags instead of potato salad. And yet, the United Nations’ response? They identified nine employees who “may have” been involved in the October 7th massacre. Only nine? Did they lose their calculator?

A Heartbreaking Reality… And Some Bad Parenting

Look, my heart goes out to the innocent people caught in this mess. Really, it does. But can we talk about the parents? Some of these folks are practically handing out “Future Terrorist” starter kits. It’s hard to feel sympathy for moms and dads who know their kids are playing with rockets instead of soccer balls. And don’t get me started on the widely respected doctors hiding hostages in Gaza. It’s like a dark, twisted version of “Take Your Kid to Work Day.”

UNIFIL: Hezbollah’s Quiet Neighbor

And then there’s UNIFIL, the U.N.’s peacekeeping force that has been in southern Lebanon for 18 years—peacefully watching Hezbollah build an arsenal of rockets. For over a decade, UNIFIL has been waving and smiling at Hezbollah as they dig tunnels and stockpile weapons. It’s the kind of neighborly behavior you’d expect if your neighbor was building an underground bunker and you just pretended not to notice. Even when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel from a stone’s throw away from UNIFIL bases, the peacekeepers apparently couldn’t find their binoculars to see it happening. But hey, if you don’t see it, it didn’t happen, right?

UNRWRA and UNIFIL
Drawing inspired by Eli Verschleiser

Should Israel Ban the Whole U.N.?

Speaking of conveniently missing the point, let’s not forget Francesca Albanese, the U.N.’s Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. Albanese’s official title might as well be “UN Cheerleader for Terrorists.” She’s spent years defending Hamas and minimizing Israel’s right to self-defense, often comparing Israeli actions to Nazi atrocities. When it was revealed that Hamas and UNRWA were working hand-in-hand, she was probably the only person in the room who wasn’t surprised. After all, she’s been rooting for them from the sidelines for years.

It’s no wonder, then, that Israel has finally had enough. In a move that feels long overdue, they’ve passed a law banning UNRWA from operating within the country. Yes, that’s right—UNRWA, the United Nations agency that’s supposed to “help” Palestinians, is now illegal in Israel. Think about that for a second: a U.N. agency has become so corrupted by terrorist ties that a country had to ban it outright. It’s like getting kicked out of a restaurant for throwing too many chairs, except in this case, the chairs are rockets, and the restaurant is the Middle East.

In the end, anyone looking to genuinely end the violence in Gaza should start by calling for the end of UNRWA. This agency has morphed into a terrorist daycare, and it’s long past time for it to be shut down. Israel banning UNRWA is just the start, but unless the international community wakes up, the flames engulfing the Middle East won’t be going out anytime soon.