Italy allocates €5 million to support UNRWA operations in West Bank

Italy has allocated €5 million to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in its operations in the West Bank.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced this funding in parliament, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

According to Meloni, a portion of these funds will also be directed towards aiding Palestinian refugees in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

 “Italy remains committed to supporting UNRWA projects, but only after thorough scrutiny and full oversight to eliminate any potential connections to terrorist activities,” she emphasized.

Notably, a recent Israeli parliamentary committee has approved a bill aimed at prohibiting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating within Israeli territory, alongside severing all governmental ties with the agency. The bill now awaits final approval from the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

In response, the European Union expressed deep concern over the proposed legislation, emphasising its backing for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s stance. The EU warned that the bill, if enacted, could have “disastrous consequences” for UNRWA’s capacity to assist and safeguard Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.

It urged Israeli authorities to permit UNRWA to continue its vital work in accordance with its UN General Assembly mandate.

By Aghakazim Guliyev