In a follow-up session held today (Monday) at the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Committee Chair MK Yuli Edelstein demanded that all relevant agencies finalize preparations for the implementation of the UNRWA laws within a week and provide the committee with a progress update.
“The Law Requires Rapid and Efficient Execution”
According to findings from the session, progress has been made in implementing the laws, but government ministries and other agencies have yet to complete the necessary preparations. Edelstein stressed the importance of fully executing the law, declaring: “The law we passed is crystal clear and mandates all entities to act swiftly and efficiently. We are determined to see this law implemented and UNRWA disappear into the dustbin of history. Israel must take care of its citizens within its sovereign territory while preventing foreign entities linked to terrorist organizations from operating here.”
Dismantling UNRWA: A Key Step in Combating Palestinian Terrorism
In last month’s committee meeting, Edelstein reaffirmed that the law for dismantling UNRWA would take effect by the end of the month. “The law will be implemented. It is final and signed,” he stated. Edelstein reiterated that UNRWA not only directly supports terrorism but also perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem. “The laws we passed three months ago represent a historic shift. Removing UNRWA from the equation will halt the perpetuation of terrorism and initiate a process of de-radicalization in the organization’s strongholds. This is the first step in dismantling the Palestinian terror infrastructure and a beacon of hope for a better future,” Edelstein asserted.
Trump’s First Executive Order: Cutting U.S. Funding to UNRWA
The U.S. has joined efforts to shut down UNRWA, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order to halt U.S. funding to the agency on his first day in office. Israeli MK Yulia Malinovsky praised Trump’s decisive action: “On his first day in office, President Trump cut U.S. funding to UNRWA!” she wrote on social media platform X. She contrasted Trump’s swift action with the nine-month struggle she faced in Israel to pass legislation severing ties with UNRWA: “Trump did it in one day, but here, due to opposition from our own prime minister and government, it took me nine months to pass the law disconnecting from and expelling this terrorist agency. And let there be no doubt—they are still trying to resuscitate UNRWA.”
