Israel’s parliament has voted to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a decades-old agency providing essential services to Palestinian refugees.
The Knesset passed two bills: one banning UNRWA’s operations within Israel, and another prohibiting Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA, effectively annulling a 1967 treaty.
Boaz Bismuth of Likud, who spearheaded the bill, claimed that “UNRWA equals Hamas,” while Yuli Edelstein argued the directive won’t affect Gaza’s humanitarian aid.
The laws passed with overwhelming support despite strong opposition from Arab Knesset members and Western countries, including the US, which warned Israel about potential consequences under American law.
UNRWA, established in 1949, assists around 5.9 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East with education, food, healthcare, and other services. In Gaza alone, it serves 1.7 million people and around 871,500 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel has previously criticised UNRWA for alleged ties to Hamas, a claim UNRWA has denied.
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