TEL AVIV — According to Israeli media, the
Knesset preliminarily approved a bill prohibiting UNRWA from operating in the
occupied Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem.
اضافة اعلان
The Knesset's General Assembly passed the preliminary reading of a draft law
that would end
UNRWA's work in the Middle East in 2023. The suggestion was put
forward by Knesset member Boaz Bismuth and a handful of other members. 33
Knesset members supported the plan, while 10 members opposed it. Amad Media
reported that the draft bill will now be forwarded to the Foreign Affairs and
Security Committee for additional discussion and drafting.
The proposal seeks to
prohibit UNRWA from operating in Israel and directs
the Israeli police to implement the restriction.
"UNRWA’s role is to provide services
exclusively to Palestinian refugees. Therefore, there is no reason for it to
offer any services within the borders of the State of Israel, where there are
no Palestinian refugees but rather residents of the state who receive services
from various state institutions,” the Knesset stated.
“UNRWA is used as a platform for incitement and
education promoting hatred towards Israel and harming its Jewish population.
Within
UNRWA-administered schools in Jerusalem, materials with anti-Semitic
content are taught, including textbooks that praise and glorify those who
killed children and women. UNRWA institutions serve as a fertile ground for
actions and incitement against the State of Israel,” the statement continued.
“According to reports prepared by the UN and UNRWA itself, it has been revealed
that UNRWA is a corrupt and ineffective institution, riddled with
administrative violations. It has utterly failed to provide services to the
Arab population. The limited services it offers within Israel’s borders are of
low quality, and even the few residents who consume them complain about their
inadequacy.”
Earlier, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General,
Philippe Lazzarini,
confirmed that Israel did not provide any evidence regarding allegations of
staff involvement in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on
October 7. Lazzarini stated
that Israel’s claims were mere allegations, emphasizing that external
independent investigations are underway to review all aspects of the agency’s
operations and its employees.
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