Lawmakers also designated the agency as a terrorist organization, effectively banning any interaction with the State of Israel.
The Guardian reports this.
On Monday, the Knesset voted by a majority of 92 to 10 to end “all activities” of UNRWA in Israel, including the annexed areas of East Jerusalem, Gaza, Judea and Samaria. This decision was made despite pressure from the United States and other international organizations, which advocated maintaining UNRWA’s status as the main provider of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
The new law, which has not yet come into force, is expected to lead to the closure of the UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem and halt humanitarian aid to Gaza through Rafah. Cutting diplomatic ties would prevent Israel from issuing permits to foreign UNRWA employees and would make it difficult to coordinate supplies with the Israeli military.
More than 1.9 million Palestinians are currently internally displaced and Gaza faces shortages of food, water and medicine. UNRWA spokesperson Juliet Tuma described Israel’s actions as “scandalous” and said they undermine important humanitarian work in the region.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini called the vote “unprecedented” and stressed that it could worsen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, where the population faces serious difficulties.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed deep concern about the bill, saying it could jeopardize the work of UNRWA and international humanitarian aid.
At the briefing, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also expressed concern about the vote and called on Israel to “pause implementation” of the bill because it could have consequences under US law, which prohibits aid to countries that restrict humanitarian efforts.
The bill was initiated by representatives of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu and Likud parties following allegations that UNRWA employees in Gaza were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
Recall that “Cursor” wrote that the chief editor of the Israeli radio station “Best Radio”, Zvi Zilber, expressed the opinion that the conflict in the Middle East could end if a signal was received from Tehran.
