Why is it in the news?

• Israel’s parliament has recently passed two bills to restrict the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from operating within Israel and the Palestinian territories.
• The Knesset has also designated UNRWA as a terrorist organization, effectively severing all ties with the agency. This move could destabilize the already fragile aid system in Gaza, where nearly 2 million displaced Palestinians face critical shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.

More about the news

• UNRWA was established in 1949 to support approximately 700,000 Palestinians displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Beginning operations on May 1, 1950, UNRWA offers education, health services, social support, microfinance, and emergency relief in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
• Currently, around 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, primarily descendants of the original displaced population, depend on UNRWA’s services.
• The agency’s funding mainly comes from voluntary contributions from countries like the S., Germany, and the EU, with a small UN subsidy allocated solely for administrative expenses. It employs about 30,000 Palestinians, over 200 of whom have lost their lives in recent Israeli attacks.
• Israel has long argued that UNRWA’s mandate is outdated, asserting that its assistance to Palestinian refugees hinders progress towards a peace agreement. However, critics counter that Israel’s reluctance to acknowledge Palestinian statehood has prolonged the conflict.
• Additionally, Israel has alleged that UNRWA personnel in Gaza were involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, presenting evidence implicating 12 staff members in the incident.
• Israel claims that 190 UNRWA employees have ties to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. While UNRWA has dismissed nine employees following an internal investigation, it has consistently denied intentional support for armed groups.
• The two bills passed by Israel impose strict limitations on UNRWA’s presence and operations. The first bill prohibits any form of UNRWA representation or activity within Israel’s sovereign territory. The second bill mandates a total separation between Israeli government personnel and UNRWA, stripping the agency’s employees of legal immunities.
• These laws, likely to halt UNRWA’s operations in Gaza and the West Bank due to Israeli control over these areas, could also necessitate the relocation of UNRWA’s headquarters from East Jerusalem.
• The impact of these measures is expected to be significant when they take effect in three months. According to UNRWA chief, the ban “sets a dangerous precedent” and would “only deepen the suffering of Palestinians,” underscoring the ongoing campaign to delegitimize the agency.