United Nations:
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees must cease operations and vacate all its “buildings” in Jerusalem by January 30, Israel's UN ambassador said on Friday, confirming timelines in controversial Israeli legislation.
Defying international concerns, Israeli lawmakers have passed a law banning the agency, UNRWA, from operating in Israel and East Jerusalem, the sector of the city annexed by Israel after Israel's six-day war.
The agency has faced criticism from Israel that has escalated since the start of the war in Gaza, including claims that a dozen UNRWA staff were involved in the deadly attack on October 7, 2023 by Hamas.
In a letter addressed to United Nations Chief Antonio Guterres, Ambassador Danny Danon said: “UNRWA is obliged to cease its activities in Jerusalem and evacuate all buildings in which it operates in the city by January 30, 2025.”
UNRWA is considered the backbone of humanitarian operations for Palestinians.
It provides assistance to approximately six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
While East Jerusalem has long been an administrative hub for the agency, it also runs schools and health clinics in the sector.
Israel has also passed a law banning contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA, but parliament has not banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza or the occupied West Bank.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said earlier this month that the agency plans to “continue” services in areas where it can work.
But having “no bureaucratic or operational relationship” with Israel “makes your operating environment even more challenging,” he said.
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