US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller defended the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees during a press briefing.
“First, UNRWA is not a terrorist organization, and we urge the Israeli government and the Knesset to halt the movement of this legislation,” Miller stated.
Earlier this week, the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset, advanced several anti-UNRWA bills. One of these bills would effectively label the UN body, which major aid organizations and foreign governments recognize as the only entity capable of providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza on the necessary scale, as a terrorist organization.
“We have been clear about the important role that UNRWA plays in delivering humanitarian assistance and other critical support to Palestinians in Gaza and throughout the region,” Miller added.
“The attacks that the Israeli government has leveled on UNRWA are incredibly unhelpful,” he concluded.