Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter has removed a link to a fundraising page for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from her Instagram page after she received backlash for promoting the agency whose employees were accused of participating in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Reports emerged this weekend that Emhoff, 24, used her Instagram to fundraise for UNRWA, an organization aiding Palestinian refugees. Emhoff included a UNRWA donation link in her Instagram bio even as the agency faces severe scrutiny and funding cuts from Western nations, including the United States.
In January, UNRWA said that it terminated staffers accused of involvement in Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel that killed over 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and led to the abduction of over 240. The allegations led to at least nine countries halting their support for the agency amid the Israel-Hamas war.
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Emhoff’s fundraising efforts for UNRWA ceased following media exposure, particularly after a report by The New York Post.
NEW from me
Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff publicly raising money for relief group allegedly tied to Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israelhttps://t.co/TpToL2MDE7
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) March 16, 2024
“Yesterday we urged VP Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff to stop fundraising for UNRWA, a terrrorist-infested agency,” Hillel Neuer, executive director of United Nations Watch, wrote on X Sunday. “Today, Ms. Emhoff scrubbed UNRWA. We commend her for that, and hope to continue the conversation.”
Reports from Israeli officials have claimed that a significant portion of UNRWA’s workforce, possibly over 10%, have ties to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
These accusations were bolstered by a detailed dossier presented to the U.S. government, highlighting instances of UNRWA employees’ involvement in violent acts, including a kidnapping and a massacre at an Israeli kibbutz, resulting in 97 fatalities.
The U.S. response, articulated by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller at the time, was one of deep concern. The fallout from these events has precipitated a financial crisis for UNRWA, as Western countries, traditionally significant donors, have withheld funds. Despite this, some nations like Canada, Sweden and Australia have resumed their financial support.
Congressional Republicans, citing the agency’s alleged connections to Hamas, advocate for a permanent end to U.S. financial support. In contrast, Democrats want funding to be continued, arguing that it is essential for humanitarian aid in Gaza and emphasizing the need to separate the agency’s broader mission from the actions of individual employees.
On X, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote on Sunday, “@UNRWA enabled Hamas’s violence using American money. This organization shouldn’t receive one more penny from our nation.”
A lawsuit was filed earlier this month in Delaware against a U.S. nonprofit linked to UNRWA on behalf of Oct. 7 survivors and family members.
The lawsuit was initiated in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware by Lishay Lavi, Noach Newman, Adin Gess, Maya Parizer, Natalie Sanandaji, Yoni Diller, Hagar Almog, David Bromberg, Lior Bar Or and Ariel Ein-Gal, Fox News reported, adding that it targets the UNRWA USA National Committee, alleging a direct connection between UNRWA USA and UNRWA in supporting Hamas.
The plaintiffs allege that the nonprofit provided material support to Hamas, implicating UNRWA in the broader network of terror financing.
U.S. senators, including Rubio, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz and Eric Schmitt, have publicly condemned UNRWA, linking its operations to Hamas’s terrorist activities. Their legislative efforts, notably the Defund United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Act, aim to sever U.S. financial ties with the agency, reflecting a broader strategy to counteract Hamas’ influence and ensure U.S. taxpayer funds do not support terrorist activities.
“We now know that funding UNRWA is funding Hamas,” said Sen. Cotton of Arkansas. “The fact that the administration attempted to release millions of dollars to go to UNRWA before suspending funding temporarily makes this legislation necessary to ensure the Biden administration doesn’t send another dime of taxpayer money to this organization that has terrorists as members.”
Cruz of Texas states that “UNRWA provided and continues to provide support for terrorism by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.”
“The organization is an acute threat to the national security of the United States,” Cruz said. “Nevertheless, the Biden administration has been pathologically obsessed with undermining Israel and sending resources to UNRWA, and they will no doubt end their ‘pause’ in funding as soon as they possibly can.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently held a meeting, where Netanyahu reportedly presented evidence of UNRWA’s alleged complicity in Hamas’s military strategies, including the existence of tunnels beneath its Gaza headquarters, purportedly used by Hamas for military purposes.
