Outlawing the U.N. agency is “a direct response to the widespread infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by Hamas,” Ambassador Danny Danon said.
(Jan. 25, 2025 / JNS) Israel notified the United Nations on Saturday that it must evacuate its personnel from all U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) premises in Jerusalem no later than Jan. 30, as Knesset legislation banning the agency’s operations within the Jewish state will take effect on Thursday.
“Israel expects that UNRWA take all the necessary steps to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city within the stated time frame,” Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said in a letter addressed to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
Outlawing UNRWA in Israel “came as a direct response to the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations, and the agency’s persistent refusal to address the very grave and material concerns raised by Israel, and to remedy this intolerable situation,” the letter notes.