JERUSALEM, Wednesday, May 29, 2024 (WAFA) - The Israeli Knesset today approved, in preliminary reading, a draft law labeling the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as a “terrorist organization.” 

The draft law was submitted by Knesset member Yulia Malinovsky from the Israel Our Home party.

The draft law, which was supported by 42 members of the Knesset, and six opposed, stipulates that the “Anti-Terrorism Law” applies to the UNRWA, and all communications and relations between Israel and its citizens and UNRWA shall be halted.

It also stipulates that the agency’s offices in Israel shall be closed, while the provisions of the Penal Code that apply to “terrorist organizations” will also apply to the UN agency.

Of note, an independent review of UNRWA's performance has concluded that there was "no alternative" to the agency, stressing that Israel did not provide evidence of the allegations of UNRWA's lack of impartiality and the participation of its employees in the events of last October.

A report submitted by the Independent Review Group on the UNRWA confirmed that the agency has established a large number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure its commitment to humanitarian principles, focusing on the principle of neutrality.

The review committee, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, and commissioned by the United Nations with the participation of three research institutes, concluded that UNRWA follows a more advanced approach to neutrality than any other similar international or non-governmental body.

The report confirmed that it developed a framework for neutrality in 2017, while it has developed and updated a large number of policies, mechanisms and measures to ensure compliance with the principle of neutrality, respond promptly and appropriately to allegations or indicators of violations, and define and apply disciplinary sanctions on employees who are proven to have violated the principles of neutrality.

A.D/M.N