Change for the better in the works at UNWRA?

Within the next few weeks, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to announce a new commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA).

The new hire will replace Peter Hansen, the controversial figure known for his outspoken criticism of Israeli actions, who led UNRWA since 1996. UNWRA, established in 1949, was designed to meet the education and relief needs of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.

For many Jews, the United Nations has been a source of great frustration. Supportive of the high ideals upon which it was founded - international peace and security, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all the world's peoples - they have been particularly disheartened to see the United Nations and its agencies serve as a forum for the antithesis of its original goals. The obsessive and discriminatory focus on Israel is unrelenting.

Now, the United Nations' less than stellar reputation is being further tarnished by recent incidents involving sexual misconduct charges against U.N. peacekeeping forces in Africa, allegations of influence peddling by Annan's son Kojo, and the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq scandal.

In an effort to repair the United Nations' image and the relationship with the United States (which pays 22 percent of the U.N. budget), Annan is believed to be looking for a more acceptable UNRWA candidate. U.S. Senators John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) circulated letters in Congress to urge Annan to appoint an individual who will not condone terrorism and incitement, and who will transform UNRWA into a positive force that helps prepare the Palestinian people to be self-sufficient and live in peace with Israel.

Given Hansen's legacy, any replacement would be an improvement. Hansen "for years has expressed anti-Israeli, biased, unrestrained positions and statements," Israel's U.N. ambassador Dan Gillerman said.

Hansen led a U.N. delegation to Jenin in the aftermath of IDF Operation Defensive Shield following the "Passover massacre" in Netanya, and said, "I had hoped that the horror stories of Jenin were exaggerated and influenced by the emotions engaged, but I am afraid these were not exaggerated and that Jenin camp residents lived through a human catastrophe that has few parallels in recent history."

Asked about terrorists using UNRWA facilities or working for the agency, Hansen said, "I am sure that there are Hamas members on the UNRWA payroll and I don't see that as a crime. Hamas as a political organization does not mean that every member is a militant and we do not do political vetting and exclude people from one persuasion as against another."

Regrettably, UNRWA is one example of a larger U.N. problem regarding Israel. Instead of playing a constructive role in bringing peace, the majority in the General Assembly uses a significant part of the United Nation's time and resources in an unremitting effort to delegitimize Israel. These efforts are well documented by U.N. Watch (www.unwatch.org), an affiliate of the American Jewish Committee that monitors the discriminatory treatment of Israel at the United Nations.

Recently, there have been some small signs of change. The United Nations is to be commended for officially commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, and the six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust. That this was a first for the international body speaks volumes, but it's only a start. The appointment of a more credible, balanced UNRWA director will be another step in the right direction.

Rabbi Robert Kravitz is Arizona director of the American Jewish Committee.

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