He socialist government of Pedro Sánchez Ha condemned this Tuesday the law approved by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) to veto its territory the operations of United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA)after demonstrating his links with the terrorist group Hamas. The Knesset’s green light for two bills on second and third (final) readings came days after UNRWA confirmed that a Hamas terrorist leader, who had led the killing and kidnapping of Israelis in a roadside shelter near Kibbutz Re’im on October 7 last year, worked for the agency since July 2022.
“The governments of Spain, Slovenia, Ireland and Norway condemn the Knesset’s approval of legislation that prevents UNRWA from operating in the occupied Palestinian territory”was noted in the statement issued by the government of Pedro Sánchez against Israel’s decision. “UNRWA – continues the published press release – has a mandate from the United Nations General Assembly. The work of the Agency is essential and irreplaceable for millions of Palestinian refugees in the region, and particularly in the current context of Gaza. “The legislation approved by the Knesset sets a very serious precedent for the work of the United Nations and all organizations in the multilateral system.”
“Spain, Slovenia, Ireland and Norway will continue to work with donor and host countries to ensure the sustainability of UNRWA’s work and its humanitarian role,” the statement concluded.
Israel has presented evidence that more than 10 percent of UNRWA personnel in the Gaza Strip have ties to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups. Additionally, UNRWA schools incite hatred against Israel and glorify terrorism through their textbooks.
In February, the Israeli military revealed the existence of an underground data center of the Hamas terrorist group just below UNRWA headquarters in the Gaza Strip. Israeli lawmakers celebrated the approval of the law on Monday evening. Israel has limited progressively UNRWA’s role in providing humanitarian assistance, supporting the United Nations World Food Program, UNICEF and other agencies.
