On the 29th, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian autonomous region of Gaza and Lebanon. There has been a series of criticisms and concerns from various countries about Israel’s new law that prohibits the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which continues to provide humanitarian aid in Gaza, from operating in the country.

At the meeting, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas Greenfield, an advocate for Israel, declared that “there is no alternative to UNRWA,” Gaza’s largest humanitarian aid agency, and expressed deep concerns about the new law. The United Nations has called for an investigation into Israel’s allegations that UNRWA staff have ties to the Islamic organization Hamas.

Representatives from the United Kingdom and Slovenia also emphasized the need for UNRWA and criticized Israel’s new law. (joint)