The Israeli parliament on Monday tentatively approved a bill declaring the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees a terrorist organisation, The Independent reports.
The bill, authored by Israeli politician Yulia Malinovsky, accuses the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of acting as a “fifth column inside Israel.” The bill alleges that many UNRWA employees are members of terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, although no evidence has been provided.
UNRWA, which provides essential services to millions of Palestinians, has faced growing opposition from Israel, which has called for its dissolution.
The vote marks a significant escalation in Israel’s efforts to dismantle the agency, despite international opposition and the resumption of funding by some donor countries following a surprise Hamas attack on October 7 that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. UNRWA suspended 12 staff accused of involvement in the attack.
Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority condemned Monday’s vote, as did several countries, including Jordan. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the Israeli move was “an attempt to kill the agency, defeat it politically and strike at its symbolism, which affirms the right of return and compensation for Palestinian refugees under international law.”
UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma called the law “another attempt in a wider campaign to dismantle the agency”. She also added:
“Such steps are unheard of in the history of the United Nations.”
When the bill was first proposed earlier in May the EU, the largest donor to UNRWA alongside its member states, highlighted the agency’s “crucial and irreplaceable” role in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Josep Borrell, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, said in a statement at the time:
“The European Union is deeply concerned about discussions in the Israeli Knesset on designating UNRWA as a terrorist organisation, and removing its staff’s immunities and privileges. The EU is a strong supporter to the agency, and remains, with its member states, its biggest donor.”
Belgium, an EU member, also issued its own criticism of the bill. Belgium’s foreign minister Hajda Lahbib wrote on X:
“Belgium condemns the Israeli parliament’s attempts to classify UNRWA as a terrorist organisation and to remove the immunity of its staff.”
And also speaking out over the matter in June, Saudi Arabia condemned the bill saying UNRWA employees “are doing their duty to alleviate the severity of the humanitarian catastrophe that the Palestinian people are going through.” The Saudi foreign ministry had said at the time:
“The kingdom stresses that Israel, as an occupying state, must abide by international law and international humanitarian law and stop obstructing the work of international organisations.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry had also said the attempt to brand UNRWA a terrorist organisation was “an extension of the systematic campaign aimed at dismantling the agency at a time when the need for its humanitarian services is dire due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.” Christopher Lockyear, secretary general of MSF International, said:
“By branding the UN agency created to aid Palestinian refugees as a terrorist entity, Israeli authorities would be perpetuating a narrative that vilifies and marginalises an entire population and those who provide them with assistance.”
UNRWA’s 30,000 staff provide education, primary health care and other development activities for some six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Sixteen countries cut off about $450 million in funding to UNRWA after Israel accused 12 of the agency’s 13,000 workers in Gaza of involvement in the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
UNRWA chief Philip Lazzarini said at the time that he was “shocked” by Western countries’ decisions to cut off aid funding as “famine” loomed over the people of Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
