Background

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established in 1950 after the Second World War to aid the millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes. According to its mission statement, “The High Commissioner for Refugees is mandated by the United Nations (UN) to lead and coordinate international action for the worldwide protection of refugees and the resolution of refugee problems. UNHCR’s primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. In its efforts to achieve this objective, the Office strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, and to return home voluntarily. By assisting refugees to return to their own country or to settle permanently in another country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight.”

 

UNHCR is responsible for all global refugees – except for one category. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), also established in 1950, is a UN agency that specifically supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. According to its mission statement, “The UNRWA mission is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live.” 

 

But is UNRWA solving the refugee problem? According to its definition, a “refugee” includes any person who is descended from a person who was displaced in 1948, including people who have settled in another country as citizens. Unless every single person descended from a refugee is returned to their place of origin – an untenable solution – the number of Palestinian refugees will grow exponentially, perpetuating the need for an UNRWA-like organization.

 

UNRWA performs an array of missions in Gaza. According to its website, “UNRWA human development and humanitarian services encompass primary and vocational education, primary health care, relief and social services, infrastructure and camp improvement, microfinance and emergency response, including in situations of armed conflict.” While this sounds benign, and even laudable, ample evidence shows it to be a compromised agency that became entangled with the Hamas apparatus in Gaza:

• Hamas has stated on numerous occasions that it is not responsible for the welfare of the Gazan population. UNRWA allowed Hamas to abdicate responsibility and avoid the difficult task of actually governing Gaza by doing much of the daily work of local administration. According to the Jewish Policy Center, “Hamas can continue to divert international monies that should be earmarked for food or electricity to the stockpiling of weapons and the creation of anti-Israel or anti-American propaganda as long as UNRWA provides the services that the negligent Hamas government should fulfill.”

• UNRWA schools and medical buildings in Gaza have been found to conceal entrances to Hamas-built terror tunnels.

• Empty UNRWA classrooms have been used by Hamas to store weaponry. 

• UNRWA produces many of the textbooks used in the hundreds of schools it runs. For years, these books have been riddled with hatred for Jews and Israel.

• Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh was an UNRWA teacher.

• UNRWA officials participated in the October 7 massacre.

• UNRWA officials held Israeli hostages in their homes.

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A New Education System

While the “Swords of Iron” war continues, preparations for rebuilding civil society in Gaza should start now. Whatever mechanism of rule and administration is implemented in Gaza, it cannot include UNRWA. Given the amount of destruction in Gaza and the resulting displacement of roughly two million people, designing and fielding a replacement organization, or multiple organizations, is a large task. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is already devastating, and with U.S. aid to UNRWA halted through March 2025, many NGOs and international leaders are actively working to shift UNRWA humanitarian responsibilities to other organizations equipped to carry out this vital work. Members of Congress across the political spectrum are engaged in conversations with the Biden administration to address the immediate needs and determine the best way to support humanitarian relief while ensuring U.S. taxpayer dollars are not going to a compromised UN agency. With that topic largely addressed, the purpose of this white paper is to focus efforts on a long-term problem and solution: reforming Palestinian education through the Alternate Gazan Education System (AGES) Fund. 

 

The current war against Hamas in Gaza has exposed the depth of the jihadist ideology that has permeated throughout the UNRWA schools in Gaza. Hamas weaponized these schools, many of which have since been destroyed. While this has been a tragedy for the people in Gaza, it provides an extraordinary opportunity for reform. If the education system is not transformed, and future generations continue to be indoctrinated with vile hatred of Israel and the Jewish people, the conflict will persist and we will all suffer future humanitarian disasters that could have been prevented through deradicalization.

 

The AGES Fund recognizes that Gazan children of all ages have been indoctrinated to hate their Jewish neighbors, and U.S. taxpayer money has sponsored this radicalization through UNRWA. The AGES Fund seeks to reform the Gazan education system through three key parameters including: a strong coalition of international partners, curriculum in textbooks, and teachers. The goal should be “Teaching to Coexist” instead of “Teaching to Hate.” This is doubly critical as Israeli security forces will likely remain in Gaza for many years. To this end, we make the following recommendations:

• The AGES Fund should be administered by an international coalition of NGOs and countries that recognize Israel, including: 

  • The U.S., Germany, the European Union, Sweden, Norway, Japan, France, and Switzerland. These entities are among the top donors to UNRWA. 

  • Abraham Accords countries — the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. This historic agreement is proof that years of animosity can be replaced by an alliance that benefits all sides through peace and economic prosperity. 

  • Israel must be a part of this coalition as it directly affects their security. However, Israeli leadership could be interpreted as a step in the “reconquering” or “occupation” of Gaza, something that Israel has no interest in doing. Israel should not take a leading role to avoid misconceptions or issues. Instead, Israel should advise the coalition about potential red flags and nuances in language as it will have a unique perspective given security conditions on the ground.

  • Other countries may have an advisory role (i.e., Saudi Arabia and Indonesia), but should be based on progress toward normalization with Israel.

  • The Palestinian Authority (PA) cannot have a role in the AGES Fund unless it undergoes fundamental reforms. The PA has yet to condemn Hamas for the atrocities of October 7th and terrorists affiliated with Fatah, the PA’s governing body, participated in the attack. The PA has blamed the IDF, not Hamas, for the murders of nearly 400 victims at the Nova Music Festival. The PA budget allocates roughly $300 million a year to pay Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons; this program has been called “pay for slay.” Most recently, the PA pledged to pay the families of the October 7th terrorists. This “pay for slay” program led to the passing of the Taylor Force Act which prohibits U.S. funding from going directly to the PA. Finally, the PA’s textbooks promote terrorism and antisemitism.

• The AGES Fund should develop a new school curriculum and prepare updated textbooks. There must be full transparency in all educational materials, and they must be approved by the international coalition. 

  • A recent example of this possibility is in Saudi Arabia, a top contributor to UNRWA and assumed to normalize relations with Israel in the future. Last year, the kingdom removed references in school books to Jews as monkeys and pigs who worship the devil, and descriptions of them as traitors and sworn enemies of Islam. Anti-Israeli materials were also removed, including reports of the use of women, drugs, and the media to achieve their goals and conspiracies according to which Israel has plans to expand its borders from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates in Iraq. A recent report from IMPACT-se shows continued improvement in the textbooks this year. Gazans can learn from the Saudi example that there is a better way forward and education reform is possible. In the interests of expediency, Saudi textbooks, or textbooks from another country that has undergone a similar process, could be used as a baseline.

  • The AGES Fund should not be limited to the K-12 curriculum. AGES should also take responsibility for prep and trade schools, as well as university materials.

• The AGES Fund should also focus on preparing a new workforce of educators. Textbooks and curricula are only as strong as their implementers. Teachers and administrators must be heavily vetted before entering the Gazan school system and subject to ongoing vetting in line with the highest standards used by the governments of the United States and other coalition partners. Teachers should come from outside nations that speak fluent Arabic such as the UAE, Morocco, and Bahrain, among others. Future Gazan teachers should serve as understudies and be allowed to teach independently only after they have been vetted and have completed a course in “Education Towards Coexistence.” This course would need to be developed as part of the AGES Fund programs. External teachers should serve in Gaza for a limited time of up to four years initially. In this way, AGES Fund teachers maintain currency without becoming affected by the “old way.”

• Given the uncertainty of when "the day after" will actually begin, the AGES Fund process should start immediately by training a group of "Palestinians in exile" and other fluent Arabic speakers that can return to Gaza and begin implementation of this new education system when the time and circumstances are ripe.

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Challenges

Rebooting the Gazan education system will be a major undertaking. The following is a list of challenges that must be overcome in order to implement AGES:

• Physical Security: Even after Hamas is defeated as an organized political and military organization, it will still exist as a guerilla organization for years to come. In addition, there will likely be firefights between local clans vying for leadership and control. The implementation of AGES will require the establishment of a security mechanism to keep students and teachers safe.

• Regional Security: The above-mentioned Middle Eastern countries - UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia - will likely not focus on rebuilding Gaza as long as they continue to view Iran as an existential threat and as long as Gaza could possibly be reborn as an Iranian proxy. This will require a shift to a more aggressive posture from the United States and other world powers toward Iran’s regional ambitions.

• Workforce: UNRWA’s latest numbers claim they manage over 280 schools in Gaza with nearly 9500 education staff. While a portion of the staff are not teachers, the majority of the staff would need to be replaced with vetted teachers. Finding qualified, vetted personnel from outside Gaza to live there for up to four years will require significant financial incentives, presuming the security situation is tolerable.

• As Gaza will be a Moslem majority entity, even after Hamas is removed from power, textbooks and educational materials that will be prepared by AGES will require approval from Muslim religious authorities.

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What the U.S. Can Do

The United States should immediately begin discussions with key stakeholders to create the infrastructure for a new education system in Gaza. These discussions should include which government entities will lead the development of the new curriculum, which U.S. NGOs can be involved in creating and vetting textbook materials, and which key international partners should consult on initial steps to create the new infrastructure. U.S. funding for Palestinian education must be shifted to a new entity. These funds could initially be obligated from the $3.495B appropriated under the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 (H.R. 8034) for emergency humanitarian needs through the Migration and Refugee Assistance funds. The U.S. should begin building the international coalition of partner nations and organizations that will establish and administer the AGES fund immediately. Given the political challenges in the region, some of these discussions will need to be done in confidence while Hamas continues to exert control in portions of Gaza. It is impossible to know what the “day after” in Gaza will look like while the war is ongoing, but that should not stop the United States from working toward a better future for when that day arrives. 

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USIEA’s Unique Role

USIEA’s mission is to educate Members of Congress and senior government leaders on issues related to strengthening the U.S.-Israel collaboration. 

 

USIEA has been deeply involved in educating Members of Congress on the Palestinian incitement to terror, specifically through the Palestinian Authority policy of “pay for slay.” These educational efforts informed the Taylor Force Act.

 

Today, as the international community is eager to plan for the “day after” the war in Gaza, Congress can proactively ensure the seeds for peace are planted with a revised Gazan education system devoid of incitement to terror.

 

USIEA has been successful in the past educating U.S. leaders on unique avenues toward regional coexistence, and the AGES fund is an original solution.

 

USIEA will provide educational briefings for Congress and U.S. government officials at the State Department. Additionally, USIEA will connect officials in Israel and the other Abraham Accords countries with their U.S. counterparts to facilitate further discussions.

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About USIEA:

U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA) advances important dialogue and cooperation between bipartisan senior government leaders in the United States and Israel by filling existing information gaps and enhancing understanding of issues critical to a mutually beneficial partnership. Founded in 2011, USIEA empowers U.S. leaders with innovative initiatives on the path to Middle East peace, connects Members of Congress with direct access to West Bank visits, and educates as thought leaders in the media and through strategic global partnerships.