On October 28, the Israeli parliament legislated a bill for all practical purposes for UNRWA operations within Israel and Occupied East Jerusalem. The global community condemned that action.
This decision comes as a significant blow to UNRWA, which has provided health care, education, and humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees for well over seven decades. Israeli lawmakers claim that the agency has a “deep connection” to the militant group Hamas, hence the legislation.
One of the sponsors of the bill, Yuli Edelstein, said, “There is a deep connection between the terrorist organization and UNRWA, and Israel cannot tolerate this.”
Reaction from Hamas
Hamas decried the ban as an “act of Zionist aggression against Palestinians.” Its ally, Islamic Jihad, called it “an escalation in the genocide.”
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, took to Twitter to protest the law’s inclusion in the “ongoing campaign to discredit the agency” and warn that it would only “deepen their suffering.”
International Concerns
The ban also raised several concerns among allies of Israel. The UK is “deeply worried,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Germany warned the move would “in practice make the work of UNRWA in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem impossible and endanger essential humanitarian aid for millions.”
Accordingly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to social media to assure the public that Israel is “ready” to continue the humanitarian aid in ways that do not compromise the nation’s security. Stressing that “UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be brought to justice,” he continued to reiterate that the humanitarian support needed to be maintained in order not to allow a crisis in Gaza.
Netanyahu further said that during the 90 days preceding the enforcement of this law, Israel would work with all international partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance continued to reach the civilian population in Gaza while posing no threat to Israeli security.
