Israel advances bill to revoke immunities, privileges of UN refugee agency

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) on Wednesday passed a preliminary reading of a bill to revoke the immunities and privileges granted to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The bill, which requires three additional readings to become law, is part of what Palestinian, UN, and international entities describe as an Israeli campaign to dismantle the UN agency and liquidate the refugee issue.

The bill, known as the United Nations Immunities and Privileges Ordinance was backed in the preliminary reading by 58-6 votes in the 120-seat Knesset, the assembly said in a statement.

“The UN Immunities and Privileges Ordinance, 1947, empowers the Foreign Minister to issue an order stating that the United Nations and its officials will enjoy the benefit of the immunities and the privileges,” reads an explanatory note to the bill.

“Among the immunities and privileges: Immunity from prosecution; immunity of official archives and offices; exemption or discount on taxes and municipal property taxes; exemption from import or export prohibitions; exemption from income tax and more.”

The bill alleges that UNRWA and its employees contributed to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and that the agency's education system supports “terrorism and hatred.” It argues that there is no room for granting the UN agency and its staff the privileges and immunity they receive under the UN order.

UNRWA, headquartered in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, denies Israel’s allegations.

While the UN insists on maintaining UNRWA's operations, Israel has recently advocated for its replacement by other institutions and persuaded countries, notably the US, to cease funding the agency, leading to severe financial deficits.

UNRWA was established by a UN resolution in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to refugees in its five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,170 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 81,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio