Nikki Haley blasted the Biden-Harris administration for providing funds to UNRWA

Republican Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the UN, called out the Biden-Harris administration for providing funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the East (UNRWA). Those funds had previously been frozen by the Donald Trump administration.

Haley's comments follow the Knesset's (Israeli Parliament) approved two bills aimed at banning UNRWA from operating in Israel. This decision was driven by concerns over the agency's connections to Palestinian terrorism, including its involvement in the October 7 attacks, as well as the anti-Semitic indoctrination reportedly taught in its schools.

"We knew long before Oct. 7 that UNRWA spread anti-Israel and antisemitic hate. That's why the U.S. stopped giving them hundreds of millions of dollars when I was at the UN," Haley said on X.

The Republican added: "Biden-Harris gave the money back, no strings attached. America and Israel will suffer the consequences if Kamala Harris is elected."

What do the bills passed by the Knesset point out?

The Knesset passed the bills against UNRWA because some of its members were accused of being involved in the October 7 attack. However, both bills still need approval from the Supreme Court before they can be enacted.

One of these bills, which passed by an overwhelming majority of 92 votes in favor and just 10 against, states that UNRWA will not be allowed to operate any representation, provide services or carry out any activities, directly or indirectly, in the sovereign territory of Israel, according to the Israeli news portal Ynet.

The Israeli media outlet added that this would halt the agency's operations in East Jerusalem, a territory that the Palestinians claim as the capital for a future state, and the functions performed by UNRWA in the area would fall under the responsibility of the Israeli authorities.

The second bill, which passed with 87 votes in favor and nine against, establishes that Israel will sever all ties with UNRWA, ergo the authorities will not cooperate with this agency and will not grant it the exemptions it has had until now.

Likud parliamentarian and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Yuli Edelstein argued at the beginning of the Knesset debate that there is evidence UN members collaborated with Palestinian terrorists.

"In the committee's deliberations on the law, a video was presented showing the involvement of UNRWA members in the kidnapping of a corpse to the Gaza Strip and other evidence of their collaboration with Hamasand Islamic Jihad in Gaza. In addition, it was proven that the commander of the massacre at the Re'im shelter (a kibbutz attacked on October 7), where 16 Israelis were killed and from where four abductees were taken to Gaza, was an UNRWA terrorist," Edelstein said.

The Biden-Harris administration lashed out at Israel for passing the anti-UNRWA bills

The U.S. government criticized the passage of the bills in the Knesset, praising the terror-linked UN agency. Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, claimed that the Biden-Harris administration has made it clear to Israel that it is very concerned about the situation since, he said, UNRWA plays an essential role in providing humanitarian aid.