Kronenfeld says the impact of the Israeli campaign is hard to measure. Her nonprofit has spent tens of thousands of dollars, plus staff time, trying to outbid Israel for Google search ad slots. But UNRWA USA raised as much money in the first half of this year as it will in all of 2023, she says. This year’s 78,000 donors are a record for the organization, which was founded in 2005.
What Kronenfeld says really worries her is that Americans are being exposed to Israeli propaganda as they try to understand UNRWA’s role in the ongoing crisis. In addition to the search ads, Israel has been running video ads in the U.S. on Google saying that “UNRWA is inextricably linked to Hamas” and that it “continues to use terrorists.” Any public misunderstanding could further jeopardize support from the U.S. government, which was UNRWA’s largest donor until the war.
“There is an incredibly powerful campaign to dismantle UNRWA,” Kronenfeld says. “I want the public to know what is happening and how treacherous it is, especially at a time when civilian lives in Gaza are being attacked.”
Google spokesperson Jacel Booth tells WIRED that governments can place ads that comply with the company's policies, and that users and employees can report suspected violations. “We enforce them consistently and without bias,” Booth says of the rules. “When we find ads that violate those policies, we take swift action.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry in New York acknowledged several requests for comment on this story over the past four months, but did not respond.
UNRWA takes action
With nearly $1.5 billion in donor support annually, UNRWA employs some 30,000 people to educate, feed and care for millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and surrounding areas. UNRWA supporters say Israel resents the agency’s ability to maintain refugee status for Palestinians, which likely gives them a better chance of reclaiming land once occupied.
Israel has accused UNRWA for decades of standing in the way of lasting peace by protecting Hamas and enabling the US-designated terrorist organization to indoctrinate generation after generation with hateful ideologies.
The agency has responded to Israel’s accusations. UNRWA has fired 13 employees this year, including nine who a watchdog said may have been involved in last year’s Hamas attack based on evidence provided by Israel. The United States has cut off funding to UNRWA since January, while other countries that cut off dollars to the agency this year, including Germany and Switzerland, have pledged to reopen the money spigot.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has said his organization plays a neutral and important role in the region and offers screening and training to keep Hamas sympathizers out of its ranks.
Kronenfeld, who is Jewish, says Lazzarini’s transparency and sincere efforts have made her feel comfortable in her role. She joined UNRWA USA in 2020 because her grandfather, who fled Nazi Germany, taught her that no one should ever again be mistreated based on where they were born. One of her initiatives was to ramp up online advertising, with the goal of raising at least $3.90 for every $1 she spent.
