From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
British PM Starmer says UK ‘gravely concerned’ by Israeli legislation against UNRWA
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK “is gravely concerned” after the Knesset passed two bills targeting the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees yesterday.
“This legislation risks making UNRWA’s essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardizing the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza and delivery of essential health and education services in the West Bank,” he says in a statement.
Starmer adds that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “simply unacceptable.”
“We need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a significant increase in aid to Gaza,” he says, without mentioning Hamas or the fate of the terror organization and its members.
“Only UNRWA can deliver humanitarian aid at the scale and pace needed,” Starmer continues. “We pay tribute to the 222 UNRWA staff who have lost their lives in the conflict.”
