Israel’s Legislative Action Against UNRWA

On Monday, Israel’s Parliament enacted two significant laws that could severely impact the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the primary U.N. agency providing assistance to Palestinians. This legislative move comes despite urgent appeals from the Biden administration, which has cautioned that such actions could exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The newly passed laws will not become effective for three months, leaving their full legal implications unclear at this stage. However, it is anticipated that they could significantly hinder UNRWA’s crucial efforts in Gaza, where the agency has been instrumental in coordinating essential humanitarian aid for those in need.

Israel has long criticized UNRWA, asserting that its assistance to Palestinian refugees and their descendants perpetuates the protracted territorial conflict with Israel. The Israeli government has accused a small fraction of UNRWA’s workforce—approximately 13,000 employees in Gaza—of being complicit in the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2022, which ignited the ongoing conflict.

The legislation approved on Monday poses a potential threat to UNRWA’s operations, pushing the agency into uncertain and precarious circumstances. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting pressure from international allies, including the United States, to refrain from taking action against the agency, and it remains uncertain how or if the laws will be enforced in practice.

Despite this external pressure, Netanyahu has been a vocal critic of UNRWA in the past. Following the passage of the bills, his office issued a statement asserting, “UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable. However, it is also crucial to ensure that humanitarian aid continues to flow into Gaza to avoid a worsening humanitarian crisis.”