Unrwa has long been a target of Israel, predating Israel's claims that up to 12 members of the group's staff took part in the 7 October attacks, but the attempt to ban the agency altogether signals a fresh polarisation that may take years to reverse. The consequences of a major US ally in the Middle East being largely contemptuous of the UN and the international legal institutions it upholds are likely to be long-lasting and profound.
In a sign of support for the bills, the former defence minister Benny Gantz accused Unrwa of choosing "to make itself an inseparable ambassadors from 123 member states - it is probably only Washington that can persuade Israel to rethink. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and the defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, issued a joint letter warning that "enacting such restrictions would devastate the humanitarian response in Gaza at this critical moment and deny essential educational and social services to tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem". The statement was issued even though the US Congress has not yet agreed to restore funding to Unrwa, unlike every other western nation.
Unrwa's commissionergeneral, Philippe Lazzarini, insists he acted decisively by firing the relevant staff after a review of the allegations of involvement in the 7 October attack, and in implementing the recommendations of a subsequent report by the French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna.
But, as throughout the region, Israel has signalled it is determined to change the rules of the game, and component of Hamas's mechanism - and now is the time to detach ourselves entirely from it".
Denne historien er fra October 25, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra October 25, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Awkward Test surface 'can only get worse', Smith warns
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Firefighting knock shows why England believe they have a keeper upgrade
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Late wickets provide hope for tourists after Smith leads rally
From the sport that once brought you leg theory, this was more like chaos theory.
Richarlison takes charge from spot to keep up Tottenham's perfect start
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United pegged back after dazzling double save from Onana
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Gunners blazing - Send in the clown emojis: the dangers of discussing an Arsenal red card
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Hong Kong celebrates its first dinosaur fossil discovery
Hong Kong officials say they have discovered dinosaur fossils in the city for the first time, on a remote uninhabited island.
'We are elite athletes' - Teenager breaking records - and silence around Sherpas' feats
Growing up as a Sherpa in Nepal, Nima Rinji Sherpa was used to his relatives performing superhuman feats on the The was his father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, who at 19 reached the summit of Mount Everest without additional oxygen, becoming the youngest person to do so.
Muslims in Europe face 'worrying surge' in racism across the continent, survey finds
Muslims across Europe are grappling with a \"worrying surge\" of racism that is being fuelled in part by \"dehumanising anti-Muslim rhetoric\", the European Union's leading rights agency has said, as it published a survey in which nearly half of the Muslim respondents said they had recently experienced discrimination.
Israel v UN - Efforts to expel aid agency are new low in decades of bitterness
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