US urges Israel not to pass legislation designating UNRWA as a terrorist organization

Washington stresses that it is “not a terrorist” and that it has a “fundamental” role in delivering humanitarian aid

Jul 25. (EUROPA PRESS) –

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has urged Israel not to pass legislation designating the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a terrorist organisation, saying the agency is not only “not a terrorist organisation” but plays a “critical” role in delivering humanitarian aid.

“First and foremost, UNRWA is not a terrorist organization, and we urge the Israeli government and the Knesset to stop the movement of this legislation. We have been clear about the important role that UNRWA plays in providing humanitarian aid and other critical assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and throughout the region, not just Gaza,” Miller said during a press conference.

However, he said Washington would not resume funding for UNRW due to an ongoing investigation into the alleged involvement of some of its members in the October 7 attacks by Palestinian militants against Israel, which left 1,200 dead and 240 hostages.

“We are currently prohibited by law from providing aid through UNRWA, but that doesn’t mean we don’t support the work they do and we don’t support other ways of getting humanitarian aid,” he said.

Finally, he said that the Israeli government’s attacks against UNRWA “are incredibly useless” and “do nothing to advance the cause of obtaining humanitarian aid for the civilians of Gaza.”

The Knesset, or Israeli parliament, approved on Monday in its first reading the declaration of UNRWA as a terrorist organization and the severing of all ties between the agency and the State of Israel, both direct and indirect.