A Gazan religious school funded by the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) held a contest for children to illustrate 'the suffering of our brave prisoners inside the occupation's prisons,' just a month before the State Department awarded the embattled U.N. charity more than $200 million. This latest example of UNICEF's ties to anti-Israel extremists could fuel fresh concerns about American investment in the troubled U.N. charity.
Al Itqan Educational School in Gaza, a religious school for children which boasted as recently as February about receiving 'generous funding' from UNICEF, announced in late April that it was organizing a 'drawing competition' around 'the prisoners' issue,' a reference to Palestinian militants in Israeli detention for terrorism and related crimes. The school's actions have raised questions about the vetting process for UNICEF's partners, with some critics arguing that the organization has failed to adequately screen its partners for ties to extremist groups.
UNICEF's Response to Criticism
A State Department spokesman told the press that the $218 million in funding to UNICEF 'does not support any education or school-based activities, only life-saving activities, including rapid response to natural disasters and complex emergencies, in addition to supporting malnourished crisis-affected women and children.' The spokesman added that the U.S. condemns 'any glorification of terrorism in schools, especially under a UNICEF banner,' and called on the humanitarian organization to conduct 'a full investigation' into how its funds in Gaza are being spent.
The U.S. has a long history of providing funding to UNICEF, with the organization receiving over $1 billion in assistance from the U.S. in recent years. However, some lawmakers have expressed concerns about the use of these funds, with some arguing that they may be inadvertently supporting extremist groups. As the U.S. continues to provide funding to UNICEF, it will be important to ensure that these funds are being used effectively and efficiently to support the organization's humanitarian mission.