On Monday evening, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, adopted a law banning the operation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) in Israel.
From now on, UNRWA may not operate a representative office, provide any services or carry out any activities either directly or indirectly in the territory of Israel.
Despite international protests from Western and Arab countries, the law was voted in second and third readings without defining an alternative for further aid to the Palestinians. The aid organization in the Suafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, where it provided public cleanliness, education, health and other services to the residents, will also be terminated.
The law may make it more difficult for Israeli banks to cooperate with the aid organization, whose leaders fear that the problem of transferring salaries and paying suppliers will cause the organization to collapse in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as they have so far done this with the Israeli Bank Leumi.
On Monday evening, the Knesset also discussed another bill, according to which state authorities, including organizations and persons performing public duties, may not have contact with UNRWA or persons representing it, as well as canceling the aid organization’s previous tax benefits and diplomatic immunity.
Based on this, the unit of the Israeli army performing coordination tasks in the Palestinian territories will also be forced to terminate its relationship with UNRWA.
The original motion of the representative who submitted the bill tried to have UNRWA declared a terrorist organization, but this was later relaxed because it ran into legal difficulties.
Philippe Lazzarinithe head of UNRWA stated that banning the operation of the organization in the territory of Israel will only further aggravate the suffering of the Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip.
The US State Department expressed concern about the legislation on Monday. The foreign ministers of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and other countries issued a joint statement on Sunday against the proposed laws against UNWRA.
The foreign ministers of countries friendly to Israel, including Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea, have warned that the law could have “devastating consequences” in the West Bank and Gaza Strip because there will be no one to provide education, health and welfare services and, therefore, an increase in hunger and the spread of disease among Palestinians. (MTI)
2024-10-28 20:56:00