BEYOND THE TEXTBOOKS A REPORT EXPOSING UNRWA TEACHERS’ INCITEMENT TO ANTISEMITISM AND TERRORISM August 2021 ABOUT UN WATCH Founded in 1993, UN Watch is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland that monitors the United Nations by the yardstick of its charter and protects human rights worldwide. For more information, please visit our website: www.unwatch.org. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was written by UN Watch Legal Advisor Dina Rovner with research assistance from Intern Luis Cohn Pelaez. The report was edited by Executive Director Hillel Neuer. Managing Editor Simon Plosker and New York Associate Hilary Miller provided editorial review. Thank you also to Chief of Staff Aylin Ergil Amsellem for her contribution. Copyright @2021 United Nations Watch. All rights reserved. Introduction 1 Methodology and Scope of Research 3 Analysis 3 UNRWA’s Repeated Failure to Address Documented Staff Incitement 3 UNRWA Glosses over Problem of Staffers 5 UNRWA Staff Antisemitism and Support for Terrorism is Deeply Entrenched 6 Global Norm: Zero Tolerance for Racism by Educational Staff 7 UNRWA Staff Blatantly Violate UN Rules 8 UNRWA Itself May be in Violation of Neutrality Obligations 9 Recommendations for Donor States 10 22 UNRWA Staff Exposed 11 Nahed Sharawi 12 Ibrahim Sabbagh (Abu Khalil) 14 Shady Shehada 16 Ahmad Almasri 18 Sarah Mousa 20 Saeed Khalaf Abu Freh 23 Maya Mahahi 24 Abdul Salam Muhammad Alimat (Abu Alim) 25 “Allah the Helper” 27 Abu Arafa Abu Sorour 29 Hossam Ahmed 30 Mohammad Atiyea 31 Ayat Said 32 Esraa Abedalraheem 33 Husni Masri 36 Nidal Krayyem 37 Fatima Abu Mufreh 39 Fahed Momo 40 Mohammed M. Alhourani 42 Akram Ayoub 44 Nadim Elhaj 46 Awad Abedallah 47 Annex A 49 Beyond the Textbooks iii iv Beyond the Textbooks Introduction This report documents systematic incitement to operations,” adding that “what neutrality means in antisemitism and terrorism by teachers, school the context of the United Nations is zero tolerance principals and other staff at the United Nations for racism, discrimination, and antisemitism.” 5 Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and calls on its Similar commitments were given by UNRWA in major funders, including the U.S., Germany, the UK its Framework for Cooperation agreement with the and the European Union, to finally hold UNRWA U.S., signed on July 14, 2021, in which the agency accountable to its own rules and commitments. condemns incitement to violence and antisemitism, On April 7, 2021, the Biden administration undertakes not to support terrorism directly or announced its decision to renew funding to the indirectly, affirms that UNRWA and its staff “cannot Palestinians, including $150 million to UNRWA.1 take sides in hostilities or engage in controversies of By July 2021, it was reported that the U.S. funding a political, racial or religious or ideological nature,” to UNRWA for 2021 rose to $313.8 million.2 and promises “clear, consistent and prompt admin- In this regard, the State Department’s proposed istrative action for staff violations of UNRWA’s FY22 budget contains provisions requiring the State Neutrality Framework.” 6 Department to report to the Senate Appropriations Contrary to these claims and commitments, Committee prior to the release of funds to UNRWA however, UN Watch has found that UNRWA has a on whether UNWRA is “acting promptly to address very high tolerance for antisemitism. As summa- any staff…violations of…neutrality and impartiality” rized in the list of perpetrators published as Annex and whether it is taking steps to ensure the content A of this report, UN Watch has exposed more than of UNRWA’s educational materials “is consistent 100 UNRWA staff and school Facebook pages with the values of human rights, dignity, and tol- containing incitement to antisemitism and terror- erance and does not induce incitement.” 3 In a June ism. These were revealed in six separate reports 8 hearing before the Senate Appropriations Com- published between September 2015 and September mittee on the proposed budget, Secretary of State 2019.7 Although UNRWA received our reports and Blinken confirmed that the U.S. is “determined that is well aware of the problem, the agency continues UNRWA pursue very necessary reforms in terms to systematically employ schoolteachers, principals of some of the abuses of the system that have taken and other staffers who openly support terrorism place in the past,” particularly dissemination of and antisemitism. “antisemitic or anti-Israel information” in educa- In the last several months, UNRWA has fund- tion.4 raised extensively for its education, which it claims According to a senior State Department official, shapes UNRWA students to be “responsible global “UNWRA has made clear their rock-solid commit- citizens with an appreciation for human rights and ments to the United States on the issues of trans- hope for the future.” 8 parency, accountability, and neutrality in all its 1 Anthony J. Blinken, The United States Restores Assistance for the Palestinians, U.S. State Department (April 7, 2021), https://www. state.gov/the-united-states-restores-assistance-for-the-palestinians/. 2 Biden gives UNRWA $135m. after agency condemns anti-Israel hatred, The Jerusalem Post (July 18, 2021), https://www.jpost.com/ international/biden-gives-unrwa-135m-after-agency-condemns-anti-israel-hatred-674201. 3 Department of State and Other International Programs FY 20222 Budget, p. 914 (May 2021), https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/ uploads/2021/05/sta_fy22.pdf. 4 Secretary of State Blinken calls out UNRWA antisemitism, anti-Israel hate in US Congress, YouTube (June 8, 2021), https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=cEHjj__5fFI. 5 Biden administration says UNRWA commits to ‘zero tolerance’ for antisemitism, Times of Israel (April 7, 2021), https://www. timesofisrael.com/biden-administration-says-unrwa-commits-to-zero-tolerance-for-anti-semitism/. 6 Framework for Cooperation Between the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the United States of America 2021-2022, U.S. Department of State (July 14, 2021), https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2021- 2022-US-UNRWA-Framework-Signed.pdf. 7 For a list of reports and links See UN Watch reports on UNRWA staff antisemitism and incitement to terrorism, UN Watch (December 16, 2020), https://unwatch.org/un-watch-reports-on-unrwa-staff-antisemitism-and-incitement-to-terrorism/. 8 @UNRWA, Twitter (December 4, 2020, 10:04 PM), https://twitter.com/UNRWA/status/1334951642614140932. Beyond the Textbooks 1 This report, however, documents more than 100 Ibrahim Sabbagh, UNRWA Syria English UNRWA staffers, including 22 new examples, of teacher who shared a propaganda video cel- UNRWA staffers in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, ebrating Palestinian terrorism with images Syria, and Jordan, who incite antisemitism and of Hamas gunmen and children carrying terrorism, in gross violation of United Nations and weapons along with text that the Palestinian UNRWA internal policies concerning staff neutral- refugees will not remain “dispossessed” ity and impartiality. because they are “returning,” presumably to reclaim Israeli lands through armed resis- Examples from this report include: tance as depicted in the video.12 Nahed Sharawi, UNRWA Gaza math teacher Saeed Khalaf Abu Freh, UNRWA Jordan who shared a video of Adolf Hitler with inspi- math teacher who incited terrorism by rational quotes to “enrich and enlighten your glorifying Omar Abu Laila, the terrorist who thoughts and minds.” 9 Sharawi also posted murdered an Israeli soldier, stole his weapon classical antisemitism depicting Jews as and then shot to death a 47-year-old Israeli scheming thieves. She posted a story about a father of 12 children. The UNRWA teacher Jew who tried to corrupt his Muslim neighbor lauds the terrorist’s actions, which he deems into “mocking Muslims.” The Jew gave the more impressive given his young age. “Omar “pious” Muslim a ring then stole it, threw it Abu Laila was greater than the Arab generals, in the ocean, and demanded it back from the and he was more powerful than armies and Muslim. Ultimately, the Muslim found the airborne missiles. He was a child, but he was ring in the belly of a fish he caught and when bigger than a galaxy.” The UNRWA teacher he presented it to the Jew, the Jew was so then adds that “the only path for our bullets stunned that he converted to Islam.10 [is] Palestine.” 13 Esraa Abedalraheem, UNRWA Syria Husni Masri, UNRWA West Bank teacher English teacher who posted a Hamas propa- who posted antisemitic conspiracy theories ganda video inciting children to deny Israel’s that Jews control the world, created the coro- right to exist.11 In the video, the Hamas jour- navirus and seek to destroy Islam.14 His post nalist asks several Palestinian children what claims that “Masonic Zionists” who control is the capital of Israel? The children repeat- “all the great powers,” “possess 90% of the edly deny Israel’s existence with responses world’s gold” and “own the World Bank.” such as “What Israel?” and “There is no Israel.” To make a point, the journalist offers Abdul Salam Muhammad Alimat, UNRWA a prize to the children to say that Jerusalem is Jordan Arabic teacher who promoted violence Israel’s capital, but they all refuse. The video by posting photos of armed Palestinians with is directed at a child audience and aims to a caption advocating for “weapons” instead educate Palestinian children that Israel has of peace. “There is no solace for those sitting no right to exist. The accompanying text—that at filthy peace tables. There is one way, we there is “no such country as Israel”—reflects know it, there is no choice between spirit and UNRWA teacher Abedalraheem’s endorse- weapons.” 15 In another post, he shared classi- ment of this view.