Israel Passes Legislation to Ban UN Refugee Agency Operations

The Knesset has overwhelmingly approved two bills against the UNRWA, which is accused of aiding Hamas

The Israeli parliament has approved two bills that restrict the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), an organization that provides assistance to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza.

Established in 1949 to address the needs of Palestinian refugees after the formation of Israel and the subsequent Arab-Israeli war, the UNRWA has been accused by Israel of supporting Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.

With a vote of 92-10, the Knesset passed a bill effectively prohibiting UNRWA from operating within Israel. The bill states that UNRWA will no longer “operate any institution, provide any service, or conduct any activity, whether directly or indirectly” in Israel.

“UNRWA long ago ceased to be a humanitarian aid agency, but in addition to it being an integral supporter of terror and hate, is an agency to eternalize poverty and suffering,” said MK Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, prior to the vote. He also alluded to Israeli claims of UNRWA employees’ involvement in the October 7 Hamas attack.

The UN in August, after suspicions emerged that they might have been involved in the Hamas incursion last year. Another ten employees were cleared of any wrongdoing.

Following the bill’s passage, Edelstein termed it “historic” and described it as the “elimination of one of the arms of terror that acted under UN auspices.”

This bill technically applies only to East Jerusalem, which Israel claims as its territory. As a result, the Knesset passed a second bill, with a vote of 87-9, canceling the 1967 treaty between Israel and UNRWA, which permitted the agency to operate in Israeli-controlled territory. The second bill prohibits all Israeli government agencies and representatives from contacting UNRWA for a period of 90 days after its passage.

Israel’s Jerusalem Ministry will assume UNRWA’s responsibilities in East Jerusalem, utilizing “independently funded” agencies that will not impose a budgetary burden, according to MK Dan Illouz of the ruling Likud party. Illouz stated that the Israeli government is developing plans to provide an “educational framework” for children and “an alternative health framework” for everyone, although the specifics of these plans are not yet publicly available.

All Arab members of the Knesset, along with the opposition Democrats Party, opposed the bill. MK Ahmad Tibi of the Hadash-Ta’al party emphasized that approximately 90,000 UNRWA workers provide services to Palestinian refugees and suggested that UNRWA should be shut down only after the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the UK have urged Israel to reconsider its decision to outlaw UNRWA, expressing “grave concern” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The United States has also informed Israel that withholding aid to Palestinians could raise concerns about the US military aid provided to Israel.