US embassy cable - 02AMMAN5781

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005781 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA AND PRM; PLEASE PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2012 
TAGS: PREF, PREL, EAID, KPAL, KWBG, IS, JO 
SUBJECT: UNRWA AND FAA 301(C) CONCERNS:  PRM PDAS GREENE'S 
MEETING ON THE MARGINS OF UNRWA'S MAJOR DONORS MEETING 
 
REF: A. JERUSALEM 2282 
     B. JERUSALEM 3025 
 
Classified By: DCM Greg Berry, per 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) In a September 24 meeting on the margins of the UNRWA 
Major Donors meeting (reported septel), PRM PDAS Richard 
Greene pressed UNRWA Commissioner General Peter Hansen, 
Deputy Commissioner General Karen AbuZayd, West Bank Director 
Richard Cook and Gaza Director Lionel Brisson on the need for 
UNRWA to do "everything in its power" to ensure terrorists do 
not benefit from UNRWA assistance programs.  Specifically, he 
asked that UNRWA establish a more elaborate program to 
monitor and protect its installations and programs, including 
more regular inspections by international staff, increased 
staff training, institution of background checks on employees 
in the West Bank and Gaza, and severance of all ties to youth 
activities centers.  Greene also briefed UNRWA senior 
management on pending legislation requiring a GAO review of 
State Department compliance with section 301(C) of the 
Foreign Assistance Act, noting that it would require the 
Secretary of State to provide an annual certification that 
 
SIPDIS 
U.S. law prohibiting the use of funds to support terrorism is 
being enforced to the fullest extent possible. 
 
2.  (C) Hansen replied that although UNRWA cannot disagree 
with the goals outlined by Greene, there still is a question 
of how to reach common goals.  Background checks, for 
example, are difficult as the PA currently is unable to 
provide basic security much less run criminal background 
checks on prospective UNRWA employees.  Hansen added that 
UNRWA could not ask Israeli authorities to vet prospective 
UNRWA employees, as that could create the false impression 
that the agency and its employees are "collaborators." 
Noting that the Israeli government still had not responded to 
UNRWA's longstanding requests for information on employees 
detained by the Israeli authorities, Hansen speculated that 
the Israelis likely would be unwilling to work with UNRWA on 
enhanced staff security measures.  Hansen added that, in 
spite of promises made by Danny Naveh, the Israelis never 
have shared specific information on alleged wrongdoing by 
UNRWA employees.  (Comment:  The Israelis seem instead to 
have shared the information with the USG, in the nonpaper 
discussed ref a.) 
 
3.  (C) Nevertheless, Hansen reassured Greene that UNRWA was 
taking steps to ensure its programs and installations remain 
free from outside influences.  UNRWA is working with Israel 
and the PA to ensure that the integrity of UN installations 
is respected in the current security environment.  It also 
has stepped up efforts to ensure political material remains 
outside classrooms.  And thanks to USG funding, UNRWA will 
soon have eight new international staff on board which will 
allow the agency to increase the frequency with which it 
monitors installations.  West Bank Director Cook added that 
even without the new international staff, the West Bank field 
now requires that every UNRWA installation be checked by an 
international staff member once every three months.  Cook 
noted that the previous inspection rate was once every six 
months. 
 
4.  (C) In response to specific concerns raised by Greene, 
Deputy ComGen AbuZayd reported that UNRWA had severed all 
ties to youth activities centers "a decade ago," although 
some Gaza centers continued to be located "next to" UN 
facilities.  (Note:  In spite of AbuZayd's assertion, UNRWA'S 
2002-3 budget includes plans to spend USD 289,000 in support 
of 27 youth activities centers in Lebanon, the West Bank and 
Gaza.)  West Bank Director Cook also clarified that, although 
certain UNRWA temporary employment programs in the West Bank 
are administered by local camp committees (ref b), UNRWA 
social workers and camp services officers vet beneficiary 
lists to ensure that beneficiaries are indeed registered 
refugees without a known history of terrorist activity. 
(Comment:  Without an agreed-upon definition of what 
constitutes a terrorist, access to Israeli or PA-provided 
lists of known terrorists, or even its own security apparatus 
to make these determinations, UNRWA remains largely unable to 
vet beneficiary lists for anything other than its own 
needs-based criteria.) 
 
5.  (C) Comment and recommendation:  Although UNRWA has taken 
some measures to remind staff of their obligations as 
international civil servants and to refine existing 
monitoring procedures, further steps should be taken to 
ensure that UNRWA has taken every possible measure to ensure 
beneficiaries have not engaged in acts of terrorism.  Such 
steps should include:  severance of all ties -- including 
financial support -- to youth activities centers; an 
agency-wide policy requiring some form of background checks 
on employees; an agency-wide policy requiring international 
staff to inspect every UNRWA installation at least once every 
three months; and some form of enhanced verification of 
agency beneficiaries' bona fides.  We understand that the 
Department already is working on a formal request that UNRWA 
undertake such measures. 
6.  (C) Finally, we note that in order to better screen 
beneficiaries, UNRWA must have improved cooperation with 
Israeli authorities on security-related issues.  We recommend 
the Department again urge Israeli authorities to share with 
UNRWA derogatory information on UNRWA employees and respond 
to UNRWA's long-standing request for information on employees 
detained by the Israelis.  End comment and recommendation. 
 
7.  (U) PRM PDAS Greene cleared this message. 
 
GNEHM