UNRWA said preparing to shutter Gaza, West Bank offices after Israel votes to limit its operations

The New York Times reports that UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, is preparing to shutter its offices in Gaza and the West Bank, due to heavy limitations that Israel recently voted to impose on it.

In October, the Knesset voted 92 to 10 to approve a law barring UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, and another measure curtailing its activities in the Palestinian territories by banning state authorities from having any contact with the agency passed 87 to 9.

The changes are set to come into effect at the end of January, 90 days after the legislation was approved.

Although the changes will not, in theory, prevent UNRWA from operating in the West Bank and Gaza, senior UNRWA official Louise Wateridge tells the New York Times that to do so without the ability to coordinate with Israel will endanger the lives of the agency’s staff.

At present, she explains, UNRWA coordinates with Israeli authorities whenever it transports aid across the Gaza Strip in order to ensure that staff remain safe.

“If we can’t share that information with Israeli authorities on a daily basis, then we have staff lives in danger,” she says.