Condemnations mount over Israeli proposal to label UN aid agency a terrorist group

By TIA GOLDENBERG
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Qatar and Saudi Arabia have condemned an Israeli parliamentary bill that seeks to label UNRWA, the main provider of aid for Palestinians in Gaza, a terrorist group. They join a growing list of countries to speak out against the proposal. The bill, which passed a preliminary vote in parliament last week, is the product of increasingly tense relations between Israel and the United Nations agency for Palestinians. The bill moving through parliament also seeks to cut diplomatic ties between Israel and the agency. UNRWA has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has long railed against the agency, accusing it of tolerating or even collaborating with Hamas.