JERUSALEM: In spite of protests from its close friends, Israel’s parliament approved a bill on Monday that would prohibit the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from operating in the country.
With 92 votes in favor and 10 against, the bill that prohibited UNRWA operations in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem was passed, prompting swift criticism from the US and the UK.
UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma called it “ludicrous that a United Nations member state is attempting to dismantle a UN agency that also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza.”
David Lammy, the British Foreign Minister, conveyed London’s “deep regret” on the Israeli measure. Before the vote, Lammy addressed British Members of Parliament, “It is a matter of profound regret that the Israeli parliament was considering shutting down UNRWA’s operations.”
Without offering any proof, Israel accused “several staff members” of UNRWA of participating in the October 2023 Hamas attack on the Palestinian area. “There is no reason to sever ties with UNRWA because the accusations against UNRWA employees earlier this year were thoroughly investigated,” Lammy stated.
It would not be in Israel’s “interests” to prohibit the organization, which offers aid, healthcare, and education in the occupied West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip, Lammy continued.
According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the US had previously expressed to Israel its serious concerns about Israeli legislation that would have banned the UN relief organization, which plays a “irreplaceable role in delivering humanitarian assistance” in the Gaza Strip.
