Tuesday, October 29

Israel has voted to halt all operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the country, which could worsen the already-severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel's parliament, known as the Knesset, is the only legislative body in the country, giving it the power to enact or repeal any law. The Knesset needs a simple majority to make these decisions, meaning that at least half of of the 120 members of the body need to vote a certain way to make something happen.

Yesterday, the Knesset voted to ban all UNRWA operations in Israel within 90 days, comparing the United Nations-run organization to Hamas in a public statement regarding the new law. The parliament actually passed two separate laws: one stopping all UNRWA activity in Israel and another banning all Israeli officials from communicating with UNRWA. The new laws also reverse a mandate put in place in 1967 following a treaty after the Six Day War; that mandate allowed UNRWA to operate within Israel, but it has been repealed after yesterday's vote.

UNRWA's assistance is crucial to the health and safety of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East-- it serves almost 6 million Palestinians across Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. 1.7 of those 6 million are located in Gaza, which is currently under attack by Israel, who are set on eliminating Hamas, while another 871,500 live in the West Bank and Jerusalem. UNRWA has been working to supply aid to the Palestinians displaced by Israel's creation since 1948, and the organization provides necessities like food, water, medical supplies, and education. Unfortunately, the establishment has paid a high price: over the past year, over 233 UNRWA workers have been shot by Israeli forces or killed in airstrikes, including a strike on the UNRWA-run Asma school west of Gaza City.

However, Israel has long believed that UNRWA is infiltrated by terrorists from Hamas and are working to educate Palestinians to hate Israel. Israel had evidence for their claims, though: the UN discovered that nine staff members of UNRWA were possibly involved in last year's October 7 attack and had been fired, and several Hamas operatives killed by Israeli forces were found to have UNRWA jobs. Eventually, with the support of the Knesset, Israel managed to pass the legislation banning UNRWA in the country, which will take effect in around 90 days.

Many world leaders have condemned the decision, including the United States, one of Israel's biggest allies. The State Department strongly advised Israel to strike down the new law, but Israel countered by confirming that the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza would not be affected in any way-- they were simply stopping UNRWA from operating on Israeli land. However, the United States responded by stating that banning UNRWA in Israel would drastically affect the organization's ability to operate, and Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have taken similar views to the legislation.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): A male swan is called a cob.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): We do what we have to so we can do what we want to. (James Farmer)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Disbursement (noun)- A disbursement is a payout of money from a fund that has been created for a special purpose. Disbursement can also refer to the money that is paid out.

In a Sentence: The company has made large disbursements for research.