UNRWA Debate
UNRWA Debate
Be it Resolved, western governments must resume funding to UNRWA
14 countries, including Canada and the US, suspended funding to the U.N.’s Palestinian Refugee Agency in response to Israeli allegations that 12 employees were involved in the attack on Israel on October 7th, and roughly 10% of their employees in Gaza have links to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Human rights workers argue that this is a form of collective punishment that will have dire consequences on a population already suffering from widespread hunger, displacement, and disease. Furthermore, cutting off payments to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria could destabilize an already volatile region. UNRWA’s critics argue that by keeping Palestinians in a perpetual state of refugee status, the organization prevents them from setting down roots elsewhere in the region and thus acts as an obstacle to peace. Given the irrefutable evidence of its ties to Hamas and support of terror against Israel, they argue, there is no reason to continue to fund an agency openly committed to the right of return for Palestinian refugees and the elimination of the Jewish State.
Arguing in favour of the resolution is Kenneth Roth, the former Executive Director for Human Rights Watch
Arguing against the resolution is Einat (EY-nut) Wilf, she’s a former member of the Israeli Knesset and the author of The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace
“This could not come at a worse moment for UNRWA because even though these dozen employees are just a dozen out of 13,000 employees operating in Gaza, everybody is being penalized.”
-KENNETH ROTH
“This is an organization that keeps the war going on forever. If you’re actually someone who wants to move forward, UNRWA must not only be defunded, it must totally be dismantled.”
-DR. EINAT WILF
Vote
Join to votePro
Con
You may also like
November 19, 2025
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: The MAGA coalition is coming apart and Mark Carney’s government underwhelms voters
November 25, 2025
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Ottawa and Alberta find agreement on energy and why two-tier care is not the solution to Canada’s healthcare problems
January 6, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump’s hard power doctrine alienates allies and sets a destabilizing precedent
January 13, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Jerome Powell stands up to Trump and why the West is reluctant to intervene in Iran
January 20, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump faces off with NATO allies over Greenland
January 29, 2026
– Listen
Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: ICE wants to spread terror and Canada is at the centre of a geopolitical crisis
February 4, 2026