The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially notified the UN about the termination of its cooperation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This was reported early on Monday, November 4, by Channel 12. The notification came after the Knesset approved, in its second and third readings, a law to cease contacts with UNRWA as an organization that collaborates with terrorists and supports terrorism.
Yaakov Blitstein, the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed the UN about the annulment of the agreement between Israel and UNRWA, which was established in 1967 and formed the legal basis for relations between the State of Israel and the UN agency for Palestine refugees.
“UNRWA is an organization whose employees participated in the massacre on October 7,” commented Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on this move. “Many of its employees are still members of Hamas. Only 13 percent of humanitarian aid comes through UNRWA. UNRWA is not part of the solution to the Gaza issue; it is part of the problem itself.”
Following the notification to the UN, a three-month transitional period will commence during which Israel will practically cease all contacts with UNRWA. After three months, any legal entity in Israel, whether a government authority, political organization, or officials, will be prohibited from engaging with the agency.
This ban will apply not only in the Gaza Strip but also in the areas of Judea and Samaria, where there are currently 13,000 UNRWA employees, some of whom are Palestinians and others are UN diplomats holding diplomatic passports. No further diplomatic passports will be issued to UNRWA employees.
