Palestinian Authority and Hamas condemn Israel's ban on UNRWA
The Palestinian Authority has condemned Israel’s newly passed legislation banning the United Nations’ relief agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, saying it violates international law.
Nabil Abu Rudainah, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority president, said that the “overwhelming majority” that passed the legislation Monday in the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, showed that “Israel has turned into a fascist state, and that this is no longer limited to a number of ministers, but rather the so-called state of Israel,” according to official Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Rudainah stressed that the move by Israel “violates international law and constitutes a challenge to the UN resolutions that represent international legitimacy,” according to Wafa.
The Palestinian Authority is headquartered in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and exercises nominal self-rule in parts of the territory.
Hamas expressed similar sentiments, saying the move was part of Israel’s aggression against Palestinians and that it aimed to suppress the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.
Hamas said in a statement that the international community and the United Nations should take “firm positions” against Israel for the move and “provide support to UNRWA to ensure the continuation of its work in providing relief to our people.”
UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, has also said Israel’s move violates international law, though this was denied by Knesset member Yuli Edelstein during the passage of the legislation.
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