Israel declares UNRWA to be a terrorist entity

The ABC reports:

Israel’s parliament has passed legislation targeting the main UN agency providing aid to people in Gaza.

The new laws designate the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) a terrorist organisation, cutting diplomatic ties with the agency and barring it from operating on Israeli soil.

Two bills passed in the Knesset prohibit ties between Israeli officials and the agency, and strip its staff of their legal immunities.

This is not surprising, considering the many UNRWA staff who have also been terrorists. But it goes well beyond that. UNRWA has allowed their schools to be used to teach hatred. They are part of the problem, not the solution. For example UNRWA will not teach the Holocaust in their schools, as it will upset Hamas who insist the Holocaust is a fiction invented by Zionists.

The vote passed 92-10 and followed a fiery debate between supporters of the law and its opponents, mostly members of Arab parliamentary parties.

The Government only has 68 MPs, so at least 24 opposition MPs voted to ban UNRWA also.

UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said the move set a “dangerous new precedent”. 

“It ⁠will deprive over 650,000 girls and boys there from education, putting at risk an entire generation of children.”

Not having them taught in UNRWA schools will probably be a good thing. There are in fact over 3,000 schools in Palestine, and only 15% are run by UNRWA. Children in UNRWA schools will be able to access other schools.

There are also other aid agencies that do or can operate in the Palestinian Territories. With UNRWA being banned, we should cease funding them, and instead donate what we used to give to UNRWA to other aid agencies that operate there. I’m absolutely in favour of NZ Government funding aid agencies to help Palestinian families., I’m just not in favour of doing it through UNRWA.