The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, urged Israel on Thursday to cancel the decision to classify the controversial United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as a terrorist organization.
"Outlawing @UNRWA and labeling it as terrorist, which it is not, amounts to targeting regional stability and human dignity of all those benefiting from the U.N. agency work," Borrell said in a posting on X before calling the decision “nonsense.”
The criticism comes amid efforts in the Knesset earlier this week to advance three pieces of legislation aimed at forbidding the institution from operating in the country’s territory, removing any legal immunities its staff may have as U.N. personnel, and requiring the Jewish state to sever all affiliation with its future dealings.
The resolution follows years of accusations that the U.N. bureau glorified the murder of Israel’s citizens in the schools they control, promoted antisemitic propaganda, and allowed jihadist factions to use its facilities for military purposes.
In February, Israeli intelligence services released a report alleging that as many as 10 percent of UNRWA employees are members of regional terror groups, and at least one dozen of their associates participated in the rampage following the October 7 invasion of southern Israel by Hamas.
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