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The U.N. Relief and Works Agency is the Problem, Not the Solution

Episode 13: Gadi and Mike discuss the UNRWA and Palestinian Refugees

by
Gadi Taub
and
Michael Doran
February 08, 2024
Israel Update
Israel Update is a video podcast hosted by Israeli historian and political commentator Gadi Taub and Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. The show offers news from the ground as well as an unparalleled insider perspective on the war.
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Recent revelations about the participation of UNRWA employees in the October 7th massacre have focused attention on the agency. The U.N. has vowed to purge it. Supporting countries are withholding funds. But the problem is not this or that employee. The problem is structural. UNRWA was born in sin. It was created to perpetuate the Palestinian refugee problem in order to prevent any solution short of the full destruction of Israel. We spoke with Dr. Adi Schwartz, co-author (with former Labor Party Knesset member Einat Wilf) of the bestselling book The War of Return about the role of UNRWA and what could be done about it.

Gadi Taub is an author, historian, and op-ed columnist. He is co-host of Tablet’s Israel Update podcast.

Michael Doran is Director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East and a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.