The Honorable (Name of Senator or Representative)
Room Number and Building Address
United States Senate or United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC Zip Code

Dear Senator (Last Name) or Representative (Last Name),

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is writing to urge your support for continued and increased United States funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)- the UN agency responsible for providing schools, health care and other essential humanitarian services to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza. CMEP considers UNRWA service delivery as a necessary and stabilizing component of a renewed peace process that alone can bring security and normalization to Israel and self-determination to Palestinians.

CMEP has been distressed by recent allegations that UNRWA is complicit in the Palestinian uprising or suicide bombings and by suggestions that UNRWA should be policing the refugee population to prevent violence. We ask members of Congress to base their deliberations about UNRWA on the humanitarian mandate of the agency. UNRWA has no authority - much less capability - to police or supervise the refugee camps.

The national churches and organizations of CMEP have been involved with UNRWA staff and programs for many years. As our staff can testify, UNRWA's humanitarian and social services have been essential to creating and maintaining the social stability and human capital (educated, healthy population) essential to a successful peace process. To this end, UNRWA's services are needed now more than ever since Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are unable to get to work or provide food for their families.

Members of Congress should ask themselves how they can best help give the Palestinians confidence to undertake internal reform and commit to a political, diplomatic peace process. Churches for Middle East Peace urges you to support any efforts of President Bush and Secretary of State Powell to launch a credible peace initiative. More immediately, the moral and indispensable policy choice is to support continued and increased funding for UNRWA.