In the Shuafat refugee camp, a hardscrabble district in east Jerusalem surrounded by a concrete wall, cars inched their way toward an Israeli checkpoint.
Intense security makes venturing out of the camp exasperating. But year-old Areej Taha didn't need to leave for medical treatment Monday. She had her toothache treated and picked up her insulin shots at a U. In the absence of municipal services, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA , is the main provider of decent free healthcare and education to residents of Shuafat camp.
But those services and everything from garbage pickup to water-system maintenance may begin disappearing after a pair of Israeli laws come into effect Thursday banning UNRWA from operating on Israeli territory and prohibiting Israeli officials from any contact with the agency. The most immediate impact will be in east Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognized by most of the world. UNRWA's headquarters there faces immediate shutdown.
The bans passed by the Israeli legislature in October also threaten UNRWA's operations across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where it is the lifeline for some 2 million Palestinians, most of whome are homeless from the month Israel-Hamas war.
The campaign against the agency has intensified from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other right-wing politicians since Hamas' Oct. The agency denies knowingly aiding armed groups and says it acts quickly to purge any suspected militants among its staff. How the legislation will be implemented and whether UNRWA operations will have to halt was unclear Wednesday, hours before the laws go into effect. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans. A total shutdown would end primary healthcare for up to 80, Palestinians in east Jerusalem through some two dozen medical centers, UNRWA officials say.
