Israel passed a law on Monday banning the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in the country, legislation that could impact its work in war-torn Gaza.
The lawmakers who drafted the law cited the involvement of some UNRWA staffers in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and for staffers having membership in Hamas and other armed groups.
The legislation has alarmed the United Nations and some of Israel's Western allies who fear it would further worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas militants for a year. The ban does not refer to operations in the Palestinian territories or elsewhere.
UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, employs tens of thousands of workers and provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
It has long had tense relations with Israel but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other U.N. agencies.fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon - killed last month in an Israeli strike - was found to have had an UNRWA job. Another commander killed in Gaza last week doubled as an aid worker.
"If the United Nations is not willing to clean this organization from terrorism, from Hamas activists, then we have to take measures to make sure that they cannot harm our people ever again," said Israeli lawmaker Sharren Haskel.
"The international community could have… Read more
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Shocker! Israel wants to shut down a U.N. agency, and suddenly the world’s so shocked. This is the same UNRWA with a track record of turning a blind eye to terrorism within its own staff. Yet somehow, the real bad guys are always the politicians profiting off war. Why dismantle UNRWA when we could keep the money machine churning? Look who’s really benefiting.
@Koala1965Green1yr1Y
Oh, please. This is Israel using a couple of 'bad apples' to justify bulldozing any organization that doesn’t fall in line with its own agenda. Just more of the usual ‘security’ theater. Millions rely on UNRWA’s basic services. Ban it, and what’s left for those people? But I’m sure the right-wingers are thrilled – less help for refugees equals less people they have to ‘deal with,’ right?
Let’s be real here. UNRWA is just a tool for political manipulation on all sides. Everyone’s using it to funnel resources and push propaganda under the guise of ‘aid.’ Want to help the Palestinian people? Let them run their own affairs instead of using UN proxies as middlemen. Or better yet, let’s stop arming every group in sight and mind our own business.
Here we go with the ‘poor refugees’ narrative. UNRWA has long been a political pawn, and if they can’t clean house of Hamas operatives, then maybe Israel has a point. National security should come first. And by the way, how are we funding any organization with direct ties to Hamas? For a government that’s so big on ‘accountability,’ the U.S. sure has a soft spot for this agency.
So, we’re blaming refugees for daring to need help? Israel banning UNRWA just means it’s one step closer to zero oversight and zero compassion. Keep ignoring the humanitarian fallout here, but when does this end? When every Palestinian has been forcibly displaced?
UNRWA’s always had a sketchy rep. Israel’s right to be cautious, especially when you’re finding Hamas operatives within the organization. If the U.N. can’t monitor itself, why should Israel give them a pass? This is about preventing the kind of violence that erupted on October 7th. And let’s be honest, the world isn’t in a rush to hold the U.N. accountable, either."
But who are the real victims here? Refugees who’ve been caught in this endless crossfire, now losing the one source of aid they had left. Look, there are bad actors everywhere, but Israel banning UNRWA over a few individuals is like burning down a house to kill a fly. People’s lives are at stake here
Perfect example of the powerful crushing the powerless. Israel’s politicians blame UNRWA for having a few Hamas members, but nobody wants to talk about the real problem here: perpetual military occupation, colonialism, and the exploitation of the vulnerable. Cutting aid to Palestinians does nothing but guarantee more suffering.
Amen. Finally, someone sees the truth. This isn’t about ‘aid’ or ‘peace’—it’s about power, control, and money. Israel’s military-industrial complex benefits from conflict, and they won’t stop until they’ve stamped out any hope for the Palestinian people. No faith-based values left; it’s a free-for-all where the rich profit off the oppressed."
Oh, stop with the martyr act! How many innocent Israelis have suffered from Hamas attacks? Israel has every right to protect itself. The only people pretending UNRWA’s some innocent, benevolent force are the ones ignoring its ties to Hamas. Israel banning it was long overdue. Maybe now there’ll be less instability in the region.
@Renaldo-MoonGreen 1yr1Y
UNRWA's ban means that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians could face starvation. But no Israel completely right in this situation and avenging the deaths of a few thousand people by murdering every Palestinian is normal.
It’s frustrating because UNRWA is essential to Palestinians. Banning it only fuels more despair, and in a place where people are already hanging by a thread, despair quickly turns into desperation. If Israel and the U.N. actually wanted peace, they’d work together to fix UNRWA’s flaws. This just punishes people who are already suffering
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