10/28/2024October 28, 2024Israel’s Knesset vote on UNRWA legislation sparks ‘grave concern’
The foreign ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom have expressed “grave concern” over the legislation against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) under consideration by Israel’s Knesset.
Israel’s parliament is set to vote on two controversial draft laws on Monday would would see restrictions imposed on UNRWA.
The proposed bill would see UNRWA designated as a terrorist organization and would prohibit Israeli authorities from contact with it. It would also ban the agency’s work in Israeli-occupied territory.
“UNRWA provides essential and life-saving humanitarian aid and basic services to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and throughout the region,” the foreign ministers said in a joint statement.
Without its work, the provision of such assistance and services, including education, health care, and fuel distribution in Gaza and the West Bank would be severely hampered if not impossible, “ the statement went on to say, adding that it would have “devastating consequences.”
The Israeli government accuses UNRWA of being involved in the October 7 terror attack, claiming that the aid organization has been infiltrated by Hamas.
The allegations prompted several donor countries — including the US, the EU and Germany — to suspend contributions to UNRWA.
The UN launched an internal investigation into the allegations. In a statement published on August 5, 2024, it said that nine UNRWA employees had been dismissed due to possible involvement in the Hamas-led attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Allegations against ten other employees could not be substantiated.
The foreign ministers said that UNRWA had “taken steps to address allegations regarding individual employees’ support for terrorist organizations and demonstrated its willingness to pursue and implement reform of internal processes in line with the independent review of April 2024.”