Israel's Knesset approves bill in preliminary reading to ban UN refugee agency

JERUSALEM

The Knesset (Israel's parliament) passed a bill in its preliminary reading to ban the operations of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

The bill was advanced by 33-10 votes, the Knesset said in a statement.

It will now be turned over to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for deliberation.

The bill needs to pass three more readings before becoming law.

It prohibits the UNRWA from operating within Israeli territory and instructs the police to take action to enforce this prohibition.

“UNRWA serves as a platform for incitement and education to hatred of Israel and harm of its Jewish residents,” says an explanatory note to the bill.

There was no comment from the UNRWA on the Israeli bill.

Israel accuses 12 UNRWA staffers of involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

Several countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Canada, have suspended funding for the UN agency following the Israeli accusations.

The UN agency has said that it is investigating these allegations.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar