US urges Israel not to implement legislation targeting UNRWA’s operation in Gaza

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller urges Israel not to implement legislation that would curtail UNRWA’s operations in Gaza.

Speaking at a press briefing shortly before the Knesset passed the aforementioned legislation, Miller says the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees plays “an irreplaceable role right now in Gaza where they’re on the front lines of getting humanitarian assistance to the people they need it. There’s nobody that can replace them right now in the middle of the crisis.”

“If UNRWA goes away, you will see civilians — including children, including babies — not be able to get access to food and water and medicine that they need to live. We find that unacceptable,” he says.

“We continue to urge the government of Israel to pause the implementation of this legislation. We urge them not to pass it at all, and we will consider next steps based on what happens in the days ahead,” Miller says.

The Biden spokesperson also points to a letter that the administration sent Israel earlier this month warning that passage of the legislation “could have implications under US law” in terms of US security assistance to Israel.

US law bars the transfer of offensive weapons to countries that are blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid, and Miller suggests that barring the main agency responsible for aid delivery from doing its job could lead to curbs on US aid to Israel.

A reporter points out that the Biden administration suspended its funding to UNRWA following revelations that several of its members participated in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and that Congress passed legislation barring the resumption of such funding until at least March of next year.

Miller says the administration thinks the ban should be lifted, adding that UNRWA is engaged in important reforms.

He adds that UNRWA has launched investigations of its own accord into the Israeli allegations, but that Israel has yet to provide the agency with the evidence necessary to properly probe the matter, and the State Department spokesperson urges Israel to do so.

“In a number of important ways, the relationship between Israel and the United Nations is not one that is productive,” Miller says, adding that the US has urged Israel to work more cooperatively with the UN.

For its part, Jerusalem has long accused the UN of institutional bias against Israel and points to the overwhelmingly disproportionate attention and criticism that the Jewish state receives at the international body.