Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Heritage Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) on Sunday criticized a statement by the Foreign Ministers of Britain, France, and Germany regarding Israel’s ban on UNRWA activities in eastern Jerusalem.
The three ministers issued their statement on Friday, one day after Israeli legislation banning UNRWA’s activities went into effect.
“We, the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, France and Germany reiterate our 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 wrote.
“We ask the Government of 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. We urge the Government of Israel to work with international partners, including the UN, to ensure continuity of operations. No other entity or UN Agency currently has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA’s mandate and experience,” they added.
The three ministers also called on UNRWA “to 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 sharply worded letter sent to the European ministers, Porush emphasized that their statement "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 new legislation, UNRWA services in Jerusalem were minimal, noting, "Less than a thousand students out of tens of thousands studied in UNRWA institutions."
The minister highlighted Israel's significant investment in the eastern part of the city. "A year ago, we approved a plan worth 3.2 billion shekels," he wrote, noting that "the services we provide are far better than the poor services of UNRWA."
"The entire municipal area of Jerusalem is under Israeli sovereignty," Porush stressed, adding, "After its role in the horrific massacre on October 7 became clear, UNRWA has no place in Jerusalem anymore."
He invited representatives of the countries to meet with local officials "to understand the real situation on the ground," as he put it.
UNRWA has long been criticized for its cooperation with Hamas and that criticism has increased since Israel revealed a year ago that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
It then presented a dossier showing that the UNRWA workers who participated in the Hamas massacre kidnapped a woman, handed out ammunition and actively took part in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were murdered.
Following the Israeli revelations, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the creation of a review group, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to look into the Israeli allegations.
The group, which released its report last April, said it found neutrality-related issues" in UNRWA but also claimed that Israel had yet to provide evidence for allegations that a significant number of its staff were members of terrorist organizations.