UN relief agency not a tool of Hamas, Van Hollen says

Source: Politico

03/17/2024 01:15 PM EDT


Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Sunday that allegations the United Nations Relief and Works Agency collaborated with Hamas was “a flat-out lie.”

Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the Maryland Democrat said the demonization of the UNRWA in connection with the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel was an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get rid of the agency.

“There’s no doubt that the claim that Prime Minister Netanyahu and others are making, that somehow UNRWA is a proxy for Hamas, are just flat-out lies,” he told host Margaret Brennan.

“That’s a flat-out lie. If you look at the person who’s in charge of operations on the ground in Gaza for UNRWA, it’s about a 20-year U.S. Army veteran. You can be sure he is not in cahoots with Hamas. Netanyahu has wanted to get rid of UNRWA since at least 2017.”

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/17/u-n-relief-agency-hamas-van-hollen-00147479