Israel bans UNRWA activities despite int’l pressure; Netanyahu offers to ‘work with partners’ to ensure humanitarian aid

Israel’s Knesset on Monday evening approved two laws: one banning UNRWA activities within Israeli territory and the other aimed at significantly restricting its operations in the Gaza Strip, as well as Judea and Samaria.

The bills were introduced in response to the numerous revelations in recent months indicating ties between the Hamas terrorist organization and UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees) after several of its staff members reportedly participated in the Oct. 7 mass terror attack.

Israeli estimates suggest that about 10% of UNRWA staff in Gaza are affiliated with Hamas.

Following the approval of the bills, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office (PMO) called for accountability for any UNRWA employees involved in terrorism.

“Since avoiding a humanitarian crisis is also essential, sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future. In the 90 days before this legislation takes effect – and after – we stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security,” the PMO stated.

The late-night announcement also aimed to ease the widespread international backlash against the laws, which drew heavy criticism from the United States, the United Nations and several Western diplomats.

The Biden administration exerted heavy pressure on Israel to halt the legislation in advance, while the governments of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom issued a joint declaration on Monday urging Israel to suspend the bills.

“We urge the Israeli government to pause the implementation ... if UNRWA doesn’t exist, civilians, including children and babies, will not get the food they need and this is for us unacceptable,” said U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller.

Diplomats from Germany, Spain and the UK immediately criticized the bills, while UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini called the move “a dangerous precedent” that would only “deepen the suffering of Palestinians.”

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

The first bill prohibits any operations by UNRWA in the sovereign territory of Israel, including East Jerusalem, where the agency operates a large compound.

“Israel has the full and absolute right to act against UNRWA after the failure of the international community,” stressed Knesset Member Sharren Haskel (National Unity party), who co-sponsored the bill.

“There is no country in the world where employees of an international organization would participate in the massacre of its citizens, and the organization would continue to exist on its soil even for one more day.”

“This is a call for justice, a wake-up call that sets a clear red line - anyone who dares to aid terrorism and behaves like a terrorist – has no right to exist in the State of Israel,” said Knesset Member Boaz Bismuth (Likud), another bill co-sponsor.

The second bill mandates that Israel will sever all ties with UNRWA, including halting the issuance of entry visas for its workers in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and the Gaza Strip.

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee Yuli Edelstein explained the reasoning for the laws at the beginning of the plenary debate.

“As part of the committee's deliberations on the law, a video was shown proving the involvement of UNRWA personnel in the abduction of a body to the Gaza Strip and other evidence of their activity in Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza.”

“As well as the fact that the person who commanded the massacre at the Re’im shelter, in which 16 Israelis were murdered and four of whom were kidnapped to Gaza, was a UNRWA terrorist. In light of this background, and since it is proven to the State of Israel that UNRWA and its employees acted against the State of Israel, the State must determine that UNRWA activities in its territory will be stopped,” Edelstein said.