ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Israel’s decision to ban the U.N. relief agency UNRWA from operating inside of the country was a clear violation of international law that aimed to prevent displaced Palestinians from returning home.
Israel’s parliament passed a law on Monday to ban UNRWA from operating inside Israel, alarming some of Israel’s Western allies who fear this will worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the move aimed to disrupt efforts to reach a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, adding UNRWA provided vital help to Palestinians.
“It is the legal and moral obligation of the international community to take a strong stance against attempts to ban UNRWA, which was established by a U.N. General Assembly resolution,” the ministry said.
“As the Chair of the Working Group on the Financing of UNRWA, Türkiye will continue to provide political and financial support to the Agency,” it added.
Turkey has been fiercely critical of Israel’s offensives in Gaza and Lebanon. It has halted all trade with Israel, applied to join a genocide case against Israel at the World Court, and repeatedly called for an end to Western support of Israel along with international measures to stop its assaults.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Ros Russell)
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