Israel tells UN it's shutting down all UNRWA operations in Jerusalem: 'acute security risks'

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has formally notified U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Israel’s request for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees successful the Near East (UNRWA) to cease its operations successful Jerusalem and evacuate its premises by January 30, 2025. 

The directive follows caller authorities passed by the Israeli Knesset, terminating Israel’s agreements with UNRWA and citing nationalist information concerns.

In a missive addressed to Guterres, Danon outlined the rationale down the decision, emphasizing "the acute nationalist information risks posed by the wide infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by Hamas and different violent organizations." He besides accused the bureau of failing to code Israel’s long-standing concerns and of compromising its "fundamental work to impartiality and neutrality beyond repair."

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UN conveyance enters the UNRWA offices successful Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Apr 2, 2024.  (Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS)

President Donald Trumphas besides been a vocal professional of UNRWA, withholding funding for it during his archetypal word arsenic president. The United States had antecedently been UNRWA’s largest donor, contributing much than $350 cardinal annually. In March, Congress agreed to chopped backing to the arguable bureau for a year. 

A spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General told Fox News Digital, "The Secretary-General has been wide successful the request to support enactment for UNRWA, which is the backbone of U.N. operations successful the occupied Palestinian Territory."

Danon's missive stated that "months of good-faith engagement" with the United Nations had failed to nutrient results, accusing UNRWA of abusing its immunity to bypass section laws and regulations. He underscored Israel’s ineligible position, asserting that "no authorities is required to assistance and cooperate with an entity that undermines its nationalist security."

The IDF and ISA eliminated Hamas terrorist, Nukhba commander, Mohammad Abu Itiwi. He was progressive successful the execution and abduction of Israeli civilians connected October 7th. Itiwi worked for UNRWA according to the Israelis. (IDF Spokesman's Unit)

Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute connected Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital said Israel's determination is simply a agelong clip coming. "UNRWA is simply a currency cattle for the United Nations, and besides for Palestinian alleged refugees who—in marked opposition to refugees everyplace other successful the world—supposedly inherit their exile presumption arsenic agelong arsenic the Jews are inactive there. UNRWA schools person taught generations of Palestinians to hatred the Jews adjacent doorway and to walk their lives seeking to terminate Israel alternatively of cohabiting successful peace."

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Israel Ambassador Danny Danon speaks to the members of the media earlier the United Nations Security Council meeting, pursuing a ballistic rocket onslaught connected Israel, astatine U.N. office successful New York City, U.S., October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Stephani Spindel

The authorities passed by the Israeli Knesset includes 2 complementary bills that sever each ties betwixt Israel and UNRWA, including the termination of diplomatic visas and services provided to the agency. The bills received overwhelming enactment from some conjugation and absorption members of the Knesset.

Critics of the legislation, including the Biden administration, person warned that it could make a humanitarian situation for the millions of Palestinians who trust connected UNRWA for education, healthcare, and basal services. 

During a U.N. property briefing connected Friday, a spokesperson responded to questions regarding the situation, stating, "We are successful touch, but we person continued to stress the indispensability of UNRWA." When asked astir contingency plans should the Israeli authorities beryllium implemented, the spokesperson said, "We volition spot what the aboriginal brings. Obviously, we are doing our utmost and UNRWA volition bash its utmost to proceed to supply assistance to the radical nether our mandate, arsenic overmuch arsenic we can."

Photos released by the Israeli Defense Force amusement 3 individuals that the Israeli subject claims are Hamas terrorists wrong a UNRWA compound successful Rafah. (IDF)

Before the Israeli missive was made public, an UNRWA spokeswoman had antecedently told Fox News Digital they didn't person a program successful spot for ongoing operations erstwhile the prohibition starts. 

The spokesperson claimed that, "UNRWA has the astir robust systems successful spot successful examination to different United Nations agencies erstwhile it comes to the adherence to the rule of neutrality with regards to our programs that we bash and our staff."

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In August, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed the probable engagement of UNRWA employees successful the Oct.7 massacre. He aboriginal confirmed that astatine slightest 9 UNRWA staffers were fired aft an interior probe.

Danon called connected the United Nations to "put an extremity to the unprecedented infiltration and maltreatment of a U.N. organ by violent organizations" to reconstruct the U.N.’s credibility.