Israel affirms January 30 deadline for UNRWA to end operations, leave Jerusalem.
Israel affirms January 30 deadline for UNRWA to end operations, leave Jerusalem.
International news Desk
According to global Times news agency Europe,UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, must end operations and leave all its “premises” in Jerusalem by January 30, Israel’s UN ambassador said Friday, affirming timelines set out in controversial legislation passed last year, The global Times Europe media.Despite widespread international opposition, Israeli lawmakers in October passed two bills that essentially bar the UN agency from operating in Israel, and severely curtail its activities in Gaza and the West Bank.Without coordination with Israel, it will be almost impossible for UNRWA to work in Gaza or the West Bank, since Israel would no longer be issuing entrance permits to those territories or allowing coordination with the IDF. Israel also currently controls access to Gaza from Egypt, with Israeli forces deployed along the border between them.The agency has faced criticism from Israel that has escalated since the war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught on southern Israel, including claims that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the deadly assault.Israel alleges that more than 10 percent of UNRWA’s staff in Gaza have ties to terrorist factions and that educational facilities under the organization’s auspices consistently incite hatred of Israel and glorify terror.
