A man crouches near a wall bearing a mural depicting UNRWA in the Nousseirat Palestinian refugee camp, in central Gaza, on Oct. 29, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
After more than a year of war on Gaza, Israeli Knesset deputies overwhelmingly passed two bills on Monday targeting UNRWA, the U.N. agency serving Palestinian refugees, which has already been attacked by Israel on numerous occasions. The laws, which should come into force within 90 days, could prevent the U.N. organization from operating in East Jerusalem, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, in line with its mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees.What do the two laws contain?The first law, approved by 92 votes to 10 in the Knesset, stipulates that "UNRWA shall not operate any mission, provide any service or carry out any activity — directly or indirectly — on the sovereign territory of the State of Israel." Even though this part of East Jerusalem, occupied since 1967 and declared as...
After more than a year of war on Gaza, Israeli Knesset deputies overwhelmingly passed two bills on Monday targeting UNRWA, the U.N. agency serving Palestinian refugees, which has already been attacked by Israel on numerous occasions. The laws, which should come into force within 90 days, could prevent the U.N. organization from operating in East Jerusalem, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza, in line with its mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees.What do the two laws contain?The first law, approved by 92 votes to 10 in the Knesset, stipulates that "UNRWA shall not operate any mission, provide any service or carry out any activity — directly or indirectly — on the sovereign territory of the State of Israel." Even though this part of East Jerusalem, occupied since 1967 and declared...