Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee, today issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement that it has “temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA” while it reviews allegations that 12 UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel:

            “The Administration’s decision is long overdue and still a feeble response to the massive and irrefutable evidence of UNRWA’s extensive and long-term connivance, complicity, and even cooperation in Hamas’s terror campaign.

            “When faced with the mountain of information, President Trump suspended all US funding to UNRWA, but tragically, the Biden Administration resumed support for UNRWA.

            “Now, in view of public pressure motivated by explosive new evidence of UNRWA’s involvement in the October 7 terror attack, the Biden Administration has announced a review of the limited allegations relating to October 7. That’s totally insufficient—what we need is a comprehensive, fact-based approach to UNRWA that stops all funding and conditions future funding on a complete head-to-toe reform and restructuring of UNRWA.

            “In the last eight months, I’ve chaired two hearings on UNRWA reform—one on June 22 and a second on November 8—and on Tuesday I will co-chair another hearing as I continue preparing legislation on that much-needed reform and restructuring.”

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