Ambassador Jeff Bartos
U.S. Representative for U.N. Management and Reform
New York, New York
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. President. And Under-Secretary-General Saunders—always good to see you.
Colleagues, doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result, is the definition of insanity. And yet, here we are again. Another annual pledging conference for UNRWA. Same speeches—in fact, if we dust it off, and looked a year ago, I bet you your speeches haven’t changed except for the date. Same condemnation of Israel. Same failures to condemn Hamas.
Year after year, you choose to fund UNRWA in Gaza, hoping for—and perhaps even expecting—a different result. It is time—it is well past time—to break this cycle.
This year, you have the choice to stop funding UNRWA schools in Gaza that indoctrinate the hatred of Jews and glorify terrorism.
This year, you have the choice to stop underwriting an organization that has become a subsidiary of Hamas, whose employees took part in one of the most barbaric terrorist attacks in human history on October 7, 2023.
This year, you have the choice to give the Palestinian people living in Gaza the opportunity to find durable solutions and prosper, instead of subjecting them to endless cycles of dependency and forever refugeehood.
Why is this year different from past years? Because, since the last time you met in this room for this pledging conference, the Security Council strongly endorsed President Donald J. Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to end the conflict in Gaza with 13 votes in favor and zero opposed.
In this historic vote, the Security Council overwhelmingly supported the creation of the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
This year, you finally have a choice before you—you can choose to fund incitement, terrorism, and stagnation, or you can choose to fund the Board of Peace, giving Gazans a path to peace, prosperity, and real durable change. The Choice is yours. History will not forget.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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