Meir Porush, the Minister for Yerushalayim Affairs and Jewish Heritage from United Torah Judaism, criticized a statement made by the Foreign Ministers of Britain, France, and Germany on Sunday. Their statement addressed Israel’s recent move to ban UNRWA activities in eastern Yerushalayim, following the implementation of new Israeli legislation.
The three foreign ministers released their statement on Friday, the day after the law prohibiting UNRWA activities came into effect. In their message, they expressed “grave concern regarding the Government of Israel’s implementation of legislation forbidding any contact between Israeli state entities, officials and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and prohibiting any UNRWA presence within Israel and East Jerusalem.”
They further urged Israel to “abide by its international obligations and live up to its responsibility to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance and the provision of basic services to the civilian population.” They also called on Israel to work with international partners, including the UN, “to ensure continuity of operations,” while stressing that no other organization or UN agency currently possesses the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA’s mandate and expertise.
The foreign ministers also recommended that UNRWA “continue on its path of reform demonstrating its commitment to the principle of neutrality, in line with the independent review of April 2024, led by Ms. Catherine Colonna. All alleged involvement of UNRWA staff in appalling acts in support of 7 October and subsequent events must be thoroughly investigated.”
In a strongly worded response to the European ministers, Porush criticized their statement, saying it “does not match the reality on the ground. Your concern that we respect Israeli law is completely incomprehensible.” He pointed out that even before the legislation came into effect, UNRWA services in Jerusalem were already minimal, citing that “Less than a thousand students out of tens of thousands studied in UNRWA institutions.”
Porush also emphasized Israel’s substantial investments in the eastern part of the city, pointing out, “A year ago, we approved a plan worth 3.2 billion shekels.” He noted that “the services we provide are far better than the poor services of UNRWA.”
He further stressed that “the entire municipal area of Jerusalem is under Israeli sovereignty” and stated, “After its role in the horrific massacre on October 7 became clear, UNRWA has no place in Jerusalem anymore.”
In his letter, Porush invited the European representatives to meet with local officials to “understand the real situation on the ground.”
UNRWA has faced ongoing criticism for its cooperation with Hamas, a situation that has grown more serious since Israel revealed, a year ago, that UNRWA staff had participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. Israel presented evidence showing that UNRWA workers involved in the massacre had kidnapped a woman, distributed ammunition, and actively participated in the brutal assault at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were killed.
Following these revelations, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the establishment of a review group, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to investigate the Israeli allegations. The group’s report, released last April, acknowledged “neutrality-related issues” at UNRWA but claimed that Israel had not yet provided conclusive evidence to support claims that a significant number of UNRWA staff were members of terrorist organizations.
{Matzav.com Israel}