Israeli lawmakers have voted in favor of a bill that prevents the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from operating in Israel. The document canceled the 1967 exchange of notes, which was the basis for UNRWAʼs activities.
The Times of Israel writes about it.
Israel claims that more than 10% of the Agencyʼs personnel in the Gaza Strip are linked to terrorism, and that the educational institutions under the organizationʼs auspices constantly incite hatred of Israel and glorify terror.
In February, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found an underground Hamas data center under the UNRWA headquarters in the Gaza Strip. IDF has also repeatedly attacked Hamas command centers and the organizationʼs fighters hiding in schools of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
"There is no reason for UNRWA to operate in Israel. With all due respect, we are a sovereign country and can deal with our citizens," said the author of the draft law.
The UN reacted and said that the vote of the Israeli Knesset will lead to the deepening of the suffering of the Palestinians, and the draft law "is nothing more than a collective punishment".
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that UNRWA provides the main means of aid delivery, so banning its activities in Israel would have "devastating consequences".
"There are no alternatives to the UN Palestine Refugee Agency," the organization wrote.
However, this bill is not the only one. Israeli lawmakers have prepared another document that prohibits government agencies from having any contact with UNRWA, which would limit its activities in Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel says it is providing an unprecedented amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
What preceded
In early 2024, Israel officially released information on 12 UNRWA personnel who may have been involved in the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas militants on Israel, when 1 200 people were killed and 253 were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip. Reuters, citing Israeli intelligence, claimed that 190 UN agency employees participated in the Hamas attack on Israel.
An investigation has begun. UNRWA said that they released the suspects, and the UN promised to punish the guilty. Israel says that UNRWA has many members of Hamas, and the country is making efforts to stop the agency from operating in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz claims that "UNRWA is not part of the solution, but part of the problem." According to him, it is necessary to create a new agency for the reconstruction of Gaza.
In the summer, the UN admitted that nine employees of the Palestinian Aid Agency may have participated in the Hamas attack on Israel. They were released.
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