On October 28, 2024, the Knesset passed a law banning the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Israel. The law, which was backed by 92 lawmakers and opposed by 10, prohibits UNRWA from operating within Israeli territory, including maintaining offices, providing services, or engaging in any activities, whether directly or indirectly. The legislation followed reports of numerous UNRWA employees’ involvement in Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023.
On Tuesday this week, the US expressed its support for Israel’s sovereign decision to close the UNRWA offices in eastern Jerusalem. Dorothy Shea, US deputy representative to the UN, told the Security Council:
“UNRWA is exaggerating the effects of the laws and suggesting that they will force the entire humanitarian response to a halt is irresponsible and dangerous. What is needed is a nuanced discussion about how we can ensure that there is no interruption in the delivery of humanitarian aid and essential services.”
“UNRWA is not and never has been the only option for providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza,” Shea added.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini cautioned that efforts to dismantle the agency through the Knesset’s legislation and the suspension of donor funding would have serious, far-reaching consequences, potentially destabilizing the region and undermining peace prospects.
“The right of Palestinian refugees to protection and assistance does not stem from the UNRWA mandate; it exists independently of the agency,” Lazzarini emphasized. “If protection and assistance for Palestinian refugees are halted, their rights will persist, and there will be a stronger focus on their right to return or be resettled—issues for which UNRWA has no mandate.”
Lazzarini also criticized Jerusalem’s deputy mayor, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, for calling for public celebrations over the potential removal of UNRWA, pointing out that Israeli authorities plan to “build illegal settlements” on land near the agency’s eastern Jerusalem office in the neighborhood of Shimon Hatzadik (Sheikh Jarrah).
