Israel's bill defining UNRWA as a terrorist organization passes first vote in parliament

According to The Times of Israel, in a vote in the parliament, the first bill defining UNRWA as a terrorist organization in Israel passed with 58 votes in favor and 9 against. The second bill, which proposes to remove the legal immunities and privileges of Agency employees, passed with 63 votes in favor and 9 against. The third bill, calling for the declaration of UNRWA as a 'terrorist organization' and cutting off Israel's relations with the Agency, passed with 50 votes in favor and 10 against. The bills will be sent to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for preparation for the second and third required votes for them to become law. Yulia Malinovsky, a member of the opposition Yisrael Beytenu (Israel Our Home) Party, expressed her satisfaction with the approval of the bills, citing the lack of new statements linking UNRWA to terrorism by the Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson. On the other hand, the General Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, criticized Israel's decision to declare UNRWA a terrorist organization, stating that it undermines the international community and United Nations organizations. The Fatah Movement also condemned the move as 'a clear challenge to international law and an attempt to undermine the historical rights of the Palestinian people.'