Josep Borrell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, urged Israel not to classify the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as a terrorist organization.
In a post on the social media platform “X”, Borrell stated, “Banning UNRWA and labeling it as a terrorist organization without legal justification, while it is clearly not, is an assault on regional stability and the human dignity of all those who benefit from the UN agency’s work.”
He added, “We join many partners in calling on the Israeli government to stop this nonsense.”
The Israeli Knesset (parliament) voted on Monday in the first reading of a bill to sever Israel’s ties with UNRWA and declare it a terrorist organization.
The bill has been sent to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for further discussion before it can undergo second and third readings.
Israel claims that some UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attack. Following these allegations, countries including the United States, France, Britain, Germany, and others quickly cut their funding to the agency.
However, Israel has yet to provide evidence to support its claims of UNRWA staff involvement in the October 7 attack.
UNRWA provides essential services and aid to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in camps in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and other Arab countries.
