Israel parliament approves ban on UNRWA in Israel

The Israeli parliament has approved a bill that bans the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from operating in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem. The bill, which was passed with 92 votes in favor and 10 against, would prevent UNRWA from conducting "any activity" or providing any service inside Israel, including the areas of annexed East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank. The agency would be banned from conducting any activity, including providing services, within 90 days. Contact between UNRWA employees and Israeli officials would also be banned, and UNRWA staff would no longer have legal immunity within Israel. The move is expected to severely restrict UNRWA's operations in the territories it occupies, and has been met with criticism from the international community. The UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, has called the bill "totally wrong", and the United States and seven other countries have urged Israel not to ban the agency. Palestinian militant group Hamas has called the bill an "act of Zionist aggression" against Palestinians.