Israel’s new laws banning UNRWA already taking effect
2025-01-29 12:00
JERUSALEM (TPS) – New Israeli laws banning UNRWA from operating within the country are already taking effect, with the organization’s offices in Jerusalem and the West Bank being closed and its staff being barred from entering Israel.
The laws, which were passed by the Knesset in December, prohibit UNRWA from providing any services to Palestinians in Israel or the West Bank, and from operating any offices or facilities in either territory.
UNRWA has condemned the laws as “illegal” and a “violation of international law,” and has said that it will continue to provide services to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
However, Israeli officials have said that the laws are necessary to protect Israel’s security and to prevent UNRWA from being used to promote terrorism.
The Israeli government has long accused UNRWA of being biased against Israel and of using its humanitarian operations to support Hamas and other terrorist groups.
In recent years, Israel has cut funding to UNRWA and has reduced the number of UNRWA staff allowed to enter the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The new laws are the latest in a series of steps taken by Israel to restrict UNRWA’s activities in the country.
In 2021, Israel revoked the UNRWA registration card of Salah Hammouri, a French-Palestinian human rights lawyer who had been working for UNRWA in Jerusalem.
In 2022, Israel expelled UNRWA’s director in Jerusalem, Shawan Jabarin, and his deputy, Ahmed Abu Holi, accusing them of being members of a terrorist group.
UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees who were displaced from their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
The organization provides a range of services to Palestinian refugees, including education, health care, and social welfare assistance.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
The organization has been criticized by some for perpetuating the Palestinian refugee problem by providing assistance to refugees for generations.
However, UNRWA has defended its work, saying that it provides vital services to Palestinian refugees who are in need.
The new Israeli laws banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and the West Bank are likely to have a significant impact on the organization’s ability to provide services to Palestinian refugees in the region.
Israel’s new laws banning UNRWA already taking effect
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