Israel bans UNRWA from operating in country

JERUSALEM

Israel passed a law Monday banning the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from operating in the country, which could affect its work in Gaza.

“The Knesset plenum approved Monday evening in its second and third readings a law to cut official ties with and halt the activity of UNRWA, some of whose operators are suspected of participating in the massacres (by the Palestinian group Hamas) on Oct. 7 (last year),” said a report by Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

Monday’s vote saw 92 out of 120 Knesset members in favor of the ban, with 10 opposed.

The legislation will take effect in 90 days.

Under the new law, sponsored by several Knesset members including Boaz Bismuth, Sharren Haskel and Eli Dellal, UNRWA “will not operate any institution, provide any service, or conduct any activity, whether directly or indirectly in the sovereign territory of Israel,” the report said.

The law further stipulates that “UNRWA's activities in East Jerusalem will be terminated and the body's powers will be transferred to Israel's responsibility and control.”

A separate bill from Knesset members Ron Katz, Yulia Malinovsky and Dan Illouz, which was approved by lawmakers in a 87-9 vote, mandates that Israel cut all ties with UNRWA, barring any cooperation or privileges the agency previously held.

The new laws revoke the 1967 agreement that allowed UNRWA to operate in Israel, terminating its activities in the country and prohibiting contact between Israeli officials and agency employees. They also stipulate that UNRWA staff will not receive diplomatic visas, according to the daily.

With the passage of the laws, Israel's foreign and interior ministries will no longer issue entry visas to UNRWA employees, Israeli customs officials will not handle the agency’s imported goods, and tax exemptions will be revoked.

UNRWA will also lose the diplomatic status and immunity it has held since 1967, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

On July 22, the Knesset passed the initial reading of a bill to bar UNRWA’s operations in Israel and strip its employees of diplomatic immunity.

“Despite the broad support for the legislation, both the coalition and the opposition voiced concern that the vote or its implementation would be delayed because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under great pressure in recent weeks from both the United Nations and the United States due to the lack of an alternative body that would provide a humanitarian response for the Palestinians in Gaza,” the paper reported.

Senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials warned Sunday that if the legislation passed in the second and third readings, Israel’s UN membership could be suspended, as it would violate the UN Charter, according to the report.

In a joint statement Monday, the foreign ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK urged Israel to halt the legislation, expressing “deep concern,” particularly given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel has accused UNRWA employees of complicity in the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Hamas, alleging that the agency’s educational programs “promote terrorism and hatred.”

UNRWA, headquartered in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, denies the accusations and asserts that it remains neutral, solely focusing on supporting refugees.

The Israeli army has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since the attack by Hamas last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Over 43,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 101,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.