Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today wrote a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to impose terrorism sanctions on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The Biden-Harris administration’s support for the UNRWA threatens American national security and enables continued violence while American hostages remain in Gaza.

In part, Senator Cotton wrote:

“Congress blocked funding to UNRWA earlier this year because of its ties to Hamas. Yet your administration continues to ignore both legislative intent and plain common sense. Your administration’s inadequate oversight has almost certainly enabled U.S. funds to flow to UNRWA affiliates. You even lectured Israel about its proposal to designate UNRWA as a terrorist organization. Your administration has become UNRWA’s most prominent apologist and best advocate. ”

Full text of the letter may be found here and below.

October 23, 2024

President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

I write to protest the Biden-Harris administration’s continued support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and to urge you to impose terrorism sanctions on the agency. Your advocacy for the Hamas-affiliated UNRWA as “indispensable” to humanitarian aid in Gaza undercuts America’s national-security interests by prolonging the Israel-Hamas war, enabling continued violence, and sustaining enemies actively holding American hostages in Gaza.

Congress blocked funding to UNRWA earlier this year because of its ties to Hamas. Yet your administration continues to ignore both legislative intent and plain common sense. Your administration’s inadequate oversight has almost certainly enabled U.S. funds to flow to UNRWA affiliates. You even lectured Israel about its proposal to designate UNRWA as a terrorist organization. Your administration has become UNRWA’s most prominent apologist and best advocate.

The evidence for UNRWA’s complicity in Hamas’s terrorist activity is overwhelming. UNRWA itself admitted that many of its members participated in the October 7 attacks. Hamas terrorists have fired against Israel from UNRWA clinics. Israel has found weapons stashes in UNRWA facilities as well as tunnel shafts around and under those facilities. An Israeli hostage revealed he had been held in a UNRWA employee’s house. And Israel reportedly found a passport belonging to a UNRWA teacher on Yahya Sinwar’s body this week as well as UNRWA food bags in his bunker.

You must end your support for those who abet terrorism. I call on you to use your authority under Executive Order 13224 to designate UNRWA as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity, allowing the U.S. to impose sanctions and block UNRWA assets.

Sincerely,

Tom Cotton
United States Senator