Israel has banned the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which provides assistance to Palestinian refugees.
According to Reuters, the Israeli parliament passed the ban into law on Monday, prohibiting the agency from operating within Israel. The decision followed revelations that some UNRWA staff members had ties to Hamas and were allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
In Israeli’s 120 member unicameral parliament, called the Knesset, the vote was passed overwhelmingly with 192 votes in favor, and 10 against.
Commenting on the decision on X, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable.”
Meanwhile the United Nations responded with concern. Reuters reported that UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, condemned the vote as contrary to the U.N. charter and a violation of international law. In a post on X Lazzarini expressed his anger with Israel’s continued efforts to discredit the organization.
The vote by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) against @UNRWA this evening is unprecedented and sets a dangerous precedent. It opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.
This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) October 28, 2024
About UNRWA
UNRWA was established in 1949 by the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) to provide relief to Palestinian refugees, and is a subsidiary of UNGA employing over 30,000 persons, most of them Palestinian refugees and some international staff.
The mandate of the organization is to support the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees and includes those who fled or were expelled from Nakba, the 1948 Palestine War, later conflicts, the decendents of those impacted by the conflicts, and legally adopted children.
