Israeli Foreign Minister applauds US cutting off funding for UN Palestinian agency

TEL AVIV: Israel's Foreign Minister praised the US Congress' decision to halt funding to UNRWA (the UN Relief Workers Agency for Palestinians) calling the move "a clear vote of no confidence in UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres." US President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law the appropriations bill that cut the funding.

The move came several months after Israel released evidence that many UNWRA workers in Gaza are actually Hamas terrorists, some of whom even took part in the October y massacre.

"Under his (Guterres') leadership, UNRWA has become a terrorist arm of Hamas, with its employees involved in the horrific massacre on October 7," he charged. "Anyone who refuses to condemn Hamas's crimes and fails to respond to calls for the dismissal of UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini must go home themselves."

"The historic ban on US funding to UNRWA that passed today with an overwhelming bipartisan support, demonstrates what we knew all along: UNRWA is part of the problem and cannot be part of the solution. UNRWA will not be a part of Gaza's landscape in the aftermath of Hamas," said Katz on the day of the vote. "Thousands of UNRWA employees are involved in Hamas terror activities and their facilities were used for terrorist purposes."

Katz also urged more countries to follow the US and ban funding for UNRWA.

As for the UN Secretary-General himself, on Saturday Minister Katz condemned Antonio Guterres who, "stood today on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing and blamed Israel for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, without condemning in any way the Hamas-ISIS terrorists who plunder humanitarian aid, without condemning UNRWA that cooperates with terrorists - and without calling for the immediate, unconditional release of all Israeli hostages.

Katz went on to say that under Guterres' leadership the UN "has become an anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli body that shelters and emboldens terror."