During the summer of 2000, ISRAEL RESOURCE NEWS AGENCY acquired the new Palestinian Authority school books, the first curriculum produced by the Palestinian Authority, for use in the US funded UNRWA school system…ISRAEL RESOURCE NEWS AGENCY also facilitated the first translations of that curriculum through the late Papal Nuncio in Jerusalem, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, of blessed memory, with whom we were in dialogue at the time
After a thorough Vatican examination of the new PA school books, Archbishop Sambi declared that the new PA school books read more like war manuals, replete with anti-Semitism As a result, the Vatican asked the Italian government to reconsider its sponsorship of the A school books.
Italy followed Vatican advice and withdrew its support from these new PA school books.
A member of the Knesset at the time, Dr. Yuri Shtern, also of blessed memory, brought the Italian consul in Jerusalem to the Knesset where the Italian diplomat apologized for funding these new PA school books.
After ISRAEL RESOURCE NEWS AGENCY issued a news release about the new PA school books, a Rabbi associated with the campaign of Hilary Clinton for the US Senate in 2000 asked if we would share the new PA/UNRWA school books and their translations for Hilary to use in the campaign. We did so, on the condition that we would also supply her opposition candidate, Mr. Rick Lazio.
Hilary Clinton’s staff PA/UNRWA school books and made the issue of PA/UNRWA war indoctrination into an issue for the next eight years.
Hilary held numerous press conferences on the topic, and wrote oped pieces in which she demanded that the US government tie funding to the PA and UNRWA with a demand that the PA and UNRWA cease anti-Semitic incitement in their schools. See “Hillary Clinton: Link PA Aid to End to Antisemitism,” Jerusalem Post, 26 September 2000
Throughout her term of office in the US Senate, Hilary demanded that the US condition aid to UNRWA on the removal of Hamas terrorists from the payroll of UNRWA. Hilary had indeed supported legislation that passed in Congress in 2003 which made the removal of terrorists from the UNRWA payroll a matter of law.
Yet when Hilary became Sec’y of State, she forgot about the PA school books and forgot about the Hamas- UNRWA connection.
In January, 2009, as soon as Hilary became Secretary of State, Rep. Shelley Berkley, a Clinton ally who then served as a Democratic Congresswoman from Nevada, wrote to Hilary and asked the new Secretary of State to condition funds to the PA and UNRWA on a change in PA school curriculum and the removal of Hamas members from the UNRWA payroll.
However, Hilary would not respond to Congresswoman Berkley’s request, even though Nevada legislator asked exactly what Senator Clinton had advocated for eight years.
And when Hamas again won new UNRWA workers union elections in March, 2009, Hilary was called to testify in Congress in April 2009 after the latest Hamas takeover of UNRWA elections. Hilary was asked about her response to terrorists on the payroll of UNRWA. Her response was that there are no Taliban members in UNRWA. She ignored the Hamas critical presence in UNRWA.
During Hilary’s term of office, the UNRWA budget increased from $400 million to $1.1 billion. And the US continued to pay for 33% of the UNRWA budget, without any condition that UNRWA remove Hamas terrorists from the payroll. Meanwhile,
US funds flowed to the PA during Hilary’s term of office, without any condition for the removal of textbooks or teachers that indoctrinate children to war.
Where was Hilary’s passion against Arab incitement, when she was Senator from New York?
SOURCES:
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/147286.pdf