An UNRWA employee kidnaps the body of Israeli Jonathan Samerano on Oct. 7, 2023, using an official UN vehicle. (Screenshot/X)
Foreign ministers from seven countries call on Israel not to pass legislation banning UNRWA.
By World Israel News Staff
The foreign ministries of seven different countries criticized upcoming legislation in the Israeli Knesset, aimed at barring a United Nations agency from operating inside Israel.
Israel’s parliament is slated to vote Monday on a bill, backed by both Coalition and Opposition lawmakers, which if passed would ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East from operating in Israel, and would prohibit Israeli government agencies and employees from cooperating with or contacting UNRWA.
The Knesset has sanctioned UNRWA following accusations that the agency employed a number of members of terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
UNRWA has further been accused of employing Gazans who took part in the invasion of Israel on October 7th along with atrocities committed against Israelis.
Earlier this year, the Israel Land Authority seized UNRWA’s headquarters, located in Jerusalem near the Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood, and is according to the ILA website preparing to convert the complex into a housing development.
The United States and United Nations have decried Israel’s measures against UNRWA, calling on Jerusalem not to take punitive steps against the agency.
Over the weekend, the foreign ministries of Japan, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, and South Korea issued a joint statement urging Israel not to outlaw UNRWA.
“We… express our grave concern over legislation currently under consideration by the Israeli Knesset, aimed at revoking the privileges and immunities of…UNRWA, forbidding any contact between Israeli state entities, officials and UNRWA, and prohibiting any UNRWA presence within Israel.”
“We urge the Israeli Government to abide by its international obligations, keep the reserve privileges and immunities of UNRWA untouched and live up to its responsibility to facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms as well as the provision of sorely needed basic services to the civilian population.”
On Sunday, the Im Tirtzu organization in Israel called on Knesset members to pass the law barring UNRWA from operating in Israel, rejecting pressure from abroad.
“We don’t give in to pressure,” Im Tirtzu said in a statement. “We trust the elected officials to keep their word and show courage in the face of pressure. Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz and Knesset Chairman Amir Ohana – the entirety of Israel is watching. Don’t be afraid, pass the laws to remove UNRWA.”
David Lammy, foreign secretary for Britain’s Labour government, issued his own statement expressing “grave concerns” regarding Israel’s proposed law.
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