In the last week of January, two Knesset bills ending Israel’s “cooperation” with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, (UNRWA), are scheduled to come into force. If they do, UNRWA’s activities in the territory of the state of Israel would be illegal under Israeli law and any Israeli official or institution engaging with the agency would be breaking the law.
In a letter to the president of the General Assembly in October, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, revealed he’d written to prime minister Netanyahu, urging his government to take the necessary steps to avoid the legislation being implemented. He also expressed concern that these laws would harm UNRWA’s ability to deliver life-saving services in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
