According to the UN ambassador, who confirmed timelines set out in controversial Israeli legislation, the organization must stop operating and leave its headquarters in Jerusalem by January 30.
Defying international concern, Israeli lawmakers have passed legislation that bars the agency, UNRWA, from operating in Israel and east Jerusalem, the sector of the city annexed by Israel following the 1967 Six Day War.
Israel has voiced criticism of the organization, including claims that a dozen of its 13, 000 Gaza employees were involved in Hamas’ deadly attack on October 7, 2023, which has gotten worse since the start of the conflict.
Ambassador Danny Danon wrote that UNRWA must halt its activities in Jerusalem and raze all of its locations as soon as possible in the city in a letter sent to Antonio Guterres.
UNRWA is regarded as the foundation of Palestinian humanitarian efforts.
It provides aid to some six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
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East Jerusalem has long served as the agency’s administrative center, but it also houses health clinics and schools.
UNRWA’s operation in Gaza or the West Bank has not been technically prohibited by its parliament, though Israel has passed a law that prohibits contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA.
Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA head, warned that the organization’s failure to continue operating “may sabotage the Gaza ceasefire, failing once more the hopes of those who have endured unspeakable suffering.”
He declared late on Friday on the social media platform X that “UNRWA’s work must continue in Gaza + across the occupied Palestinian territory.”
Source: Channels TV
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