Two bills making their way through Israel’s parliament would sever its ties with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, strip it of legal immunities and effectively bar it from operating in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The agency, known as UNRWA, is the main provider of aid in the Gaza Strip and provides education, health and other basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel accuses UNRWA of turning a blind eye to militant groups it says have infiltrated the agency to siphon off aid. The U.N. agency denies the allegations, saying it quickly responds to any allegations of wrongdoing by its employees.
