WASHINGTON: US Senator Chris Van Hollen has refuted Israel’s allegation that the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA is a proxy for Hamas, arguing that the accusations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are “flat-out lies.”

The Maryland Democrat is among a group of senators who demanded last week that US President Joe Biden comply with the Foreign Assistance Act and cut off military aid to Israel. They argued that Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act requires the Biden administration to stop the sale and transfer of weapons to Israel if Netanyahu’s government continues to block humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

In an interview with CBS Face the Nation on Sunday, Senator Van Hollen said he believes Netanyahu’s claims about UNRWA being a proxy for Hamas are false. “Oh, there’s no doubt that the claim is a flat-out lie,” he declared.

The US lawmaker argues that the Israeli prime minister is using the allegation to dismantle UNRWA. “Netanyahu has wanted to get rid of UNRWA since at least 2017. That’s been his goal, not just in Gaza, but also in the other places (as well),” he said.

Explaining why he opposes the ban on UNRWA, Van Hollen argues that UNRWA provides the primary distribution system for food and aid in Gaza. “If you cut off funding for UNRWA and Gaza entirely, it means more people will starve, more people won’t get the medical assistance they need. And so it would be a huge mistake to cut them off.”

The senator says that Netanyahu has been opposed to a two-state solution, and that’s why he is trying to ban UNRWA. “Netanyahu has wanted to get rid of UNRWA because he has seen them as a means to continue the hopes of the Palestinian people for a homeland of their own. And he has been opposed to a two-state solution,” he said.

Senator Van Hollen also emphasises the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages. “We need to focus on getting the hostages back and a ceasefire. And this is why I’m for a ceasefire and the return of the hostages,” he said.

He recalls that the Biden administration has already put forward a National Security Memorandum requiring countries to certify compliance with US law. And this, he says, “is a very important tool that … applies to Israel and any other country that receives US military assistance.”

Pointing out that Israel is not in compliance with US law as of March 24, the senator says he wants to restrict military aid to Israel if they do not comply. “So, it’s not a total cut off. I mean, the Netanyahu government can open the Erez Crossing to help starving people in northern Gaza. They can stop turning away maternity kits, … they could stop turning away water purifiers.”

He rejects Israel’s claim that such tools “posed a dual-use danger that they could be used for military purposes. Explaining why he believes Netanyahu’s claim about UNRWA is “a flat-out lie,” he says: “If you look at the person who’s in charge of operations on the ground in Gaza for UNRWA, it’s a 20-year US Army veteran. You can be sure he is not in cahoots with Hamas.”

Refuting Netanyahu’s arguments about UNRWA, Van Hollen says if 14 of those 13,000 people who carried out the October 7th raid on Israel were from UNRWA, they should be held accountable.

“For goodness sake, let’s not hold 2 million innocent Palestinian civilians who are dying of starvation, let’s not hold them, essentially, accountable for the bad acts of 14 people,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2024