Israeli soldiers walk inside an evacuated compound of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in Gaza City, on Feb. 8.Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP

Vivian Bercovici: Israel right to cut ties with UNRWA

Canada should place the blame for the humanitarian situation in Gaza where it rightly belongs — on Hamas — rather than chastising Israel

by · National Post

SDEROT, Israel — On Monday, Israel’s parliament overwhelmingly passed two laws dealing with UNRWA, the acronym for the euphemistically titled United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which self-promotes as a humanitarian organization devoted to the well-being of Palestinian refugees.

Decades ago, when it was founded, that may have been truer. Today, UNRWA is a farce that’s controlled by Hamas and other interests, which openly advocate for the destruction of Israel.

Avi Benlolo: Israel's UNRWA ban should be emulated, not criticizedIsrael’s recent decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating within its borders marks a significant shift, heightening calls for international donors to reconsider their support of the agency in light of ongoing concerns about its impact on Israeli security and regional stability. The new laws, passed by the Knesset, not only bar UNRWA activities within Israel but also prohibit Israeli officials from engaging with the agency.Avi Benlolo, 01 Nov 2024Einat Wilf: Without UNRWA there would be no Hamas — it must be dismantledCanada’s temporary suspension of its financing of UNRWA over charges that some of UNRWA’s members participated in the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel should be made permanent. That UNRWA has created the ideal conditions for murderous terrorist groups to emerge, from Black September, which carried out the gruesome slaughter of Israeli Athletes in the 1972 Munich Olympics, to Hamas, is not a bug in the operating system, but a feature. Anyone who truly cares about charting a path to true peace in the Middle East should have every interest in ensuring UNRWA is dismantled.Einat Wilf, Special to National Post, 01 Feb 2024