Qatar, Saudi Arabia condemn Knesset bill aimed at labeling UNRWA a terror group

Qatar and Saudi Arabia condemn a Knesset bill that seeks to label UNRWA as a terrorist group, joining a growing number of nations opposed to the proposal.

The bill, which passed a preliminary vote in Knesset last week, is not expected to progress further, according to Hebrew media reports, which suggest the coalition intends to derail it down the line.

Israel has accused UNRWA of terrorist links, providing evidence that some of its staffers participated in the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, and that a main Hamas data center was built underneath the agency’s Gaza headquarters. Those allegations led to a freeze in funding by many donors to the agency at a time when Gaza has been buckling under a humanitarian crisis triggered by the war.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry says the attempt to brand UNRWA a terrorist organization is “an extension of the systematic campaign aimed at dismantling the agency at a time when the need for its humanitarian services is dire due to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.”

Saudi Arabia also condemns the move, saying UNRWA employees “are doing their duty to alleviate the severity of the humanitarian catastrophe that the Palestinian people are going through.”