The time for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to face consequences over its support for Hamas came to a reckoning today.
In a vote of 50-10, the Knesset passed a preliminary vote designating the UNRWA as a terrorist entity, which will cancel the legal immunity of staff members and bar it from operating on Israeli soil.
For years, Israel has harbored suspicions about UNRWA’s neutrality, but recent investigations have brought these concerns to a boiling point. The catalyst came in January when Israeli intelligence found that UNRWA employees had participated in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, a devastating assault that claimed 1,200 Israeli lives and led to the abduction of 250 civilians.
Israel found that of the 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza, at least 12% are affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Coupled with evidence of Hamas storing weaponry in UNRWA facilities during the ongoing war in Gaza, fueled Israel’s determination to take action against the UN’s “humanitarian” agency.
“We have to perform a surgical [cut] here and end the event. We are on the UN’s blacklist in any case. All the excessive morality ended on October 7. UNRWA is a terrorist organization, and not only in Jerusalem. It is a fifth column within the State of Israel. And not just municipal property tax benefits and everything should be revoked from them,” the bill’s sponsor MK Yulia Malinovsky said.
“The fact that this hasn’t happened until now, for seven months is a disgrace. What is happening today is a badge of honor for the Knesset. The fact that we succeeded in joining hands, coalition and opposition—that is a very important statement for the Government. We did a wonderful job together with all the partners to these bills.”
As the bill requires two more round of Knesset votes to become law, it has ignited intense debate both within Israel and on the global stage. Supporters argue that the bill is a necessary step for Israel’s security, while critics warn of the potential humanitarian consequences in Gaza.
Gutteres is a real scumbag as he’s antiIsrael . UNRWA illegally housed terrorists & lied about it too
Comments (1)