EU top diplomat urges Israel to ensure UNRWA can continue to operate

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has called on Israel to ensure that the UN agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, can continue its operations, sounding the alarm over a draft bill that could hinder the agency's work.

"The European Union expresses its grave concern about the draft bill on UNRWA currently discussed in the Israeli parliament," Borrell said in a statement issued on Saturday.

The Israeli parliament reportedly plans to introduce a law to classify the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as a terrorist organization and ban its work on Israeli territory. The bill could be passed soon.

Israel accuses the relief organization in the Gaza Strip of being infiltrated by the Islamist Hamas group. Several of the organization's employees are also said to have been involved in the October 7 attacks.

The UN also concluded that some of its employees were most likely involved in the massacre in Israel.

"The EU strongly supports the UN secretary general’s call on the matter and shares the concern that this draft bill, if adopted, would have disastrous consequences, preventing the UN agency from continuing to provide its services and protection to Palestine refugees in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza," Borrell said.

"The EU urges the Israeli authorities to ensure that UNRWA is allowed to continue carrying out its crucial work in line with its mandate adopted by the UN General Assembly," the EU's top diplomat said.

"UNRWA provides essential services to millions of people in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and across the region, including Lebanon, Syria and Jordan and is a pillar of regional stability. It also plays a fundamental role in ensuring the conditions on the ground for a credible pathway towards the two-State solution."