Israel Passes Bills to Deem UNRWA a Terrorist Organization

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Above: Right wing activists hold a display of simulated dead bodies in ZAKA bags as they block the entrance to the UNRWA branch during a protest against the organization on March 20, 2024 in Jerusalem. Image copyright: Amir Levy/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • The Knesset (Israel's parliament) on Monday passed the first reading of three bills aimed at shutting down the operations of the UN's primary agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in Israel, stripping its personnel of legal immunities, and branding the agency as a terrorist organization.

  • The three bills will now be sent to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for preparation for the second and third readings, which are necessary for the legislation to become law.

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The Spin

Pro-Israel narrative

UNRWA has long facilitated terror and provided cover for Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Several UNRWA employees participated in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre, which should be more than enough of a reason to once and for all get rid of the terror-adjacent organization. Indeed, UNRWA schools indoctrinate Palestinians into hating Israel, something that must finally end.

Jerusalem Post

Pro-Palestine narrative

UNRWA is the only international organization with the infrastructure capable of providing humanitarian aid in Gaza. That almost all of the donor countries — most of whom are allies of Israel — have reinstated funding to the agency should indicate that Israeli claims are nonsense and entirely baseless. Attacks on UNRWA only serve to make the humanitarian situation in Gaza worse.

Middle East Eye

Metaculus Prediction

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