RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Monday condemned an Israeli bill to designate the UN refugee agency (UNRWA) as a “terrorist organization.” 

The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) early Monday passed three bills to shut down the UNRWA and deem it as a “terrorist” organization. The bills will require two more readings to become effective.

Secretary-General of the PLO’s Executive Committee Hussein Al-Sheikh termed the Knesset’s decision as a “disregard for the international community and its international organizations.”

“We affirm that the Israeli occupation is the ugliest form of terrorism practiced daily against the Palestinian people,” he said in a statement.

“The Knesset’s decision towards an international humanitarian organization must be faced with an international position that supports this organization politically, financially and morally so that it can continue its humanitarian and moral role towards a people who are victims of the Israeli occupation.”

Last May, the Knesset passed a preliminary motion to approve a bill designating UNRWA as a "terrorist organization."

Israel has lobbying hard to have UNRWA closed as it is the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA was established by a UN resolution in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to refugees in its five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar