Knesset Votes to Cut Utilities Services to UNRWA Properties

In its sitting on Monday, the Knesset Plenum voted to approve in second and third readings the Bill for Stopping the Activity of UNRWA (Amendment), 2025. This is a government bill, into which private members' bills were merged, sponsored by MKs Limor Sonn Har Melech (Otzma Yehudit) and Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beitenu). In the vote, 59 Members of Knesset supported the bill, versus seven opposing votes.

It is proposed to amend the Law for Stopping the Activity of UNRWA, so that a provider of electricity or water service will not supply a property with electricity or water, as relevant, if the name of the consumer registered at that property is UNRWA. In addition, it is proposed to grant the state the power to take possession of land that is Israeli land which has served UNRWA in certain compounds.

Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chair MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud): “UNRWA workers were full partners to the cruel massacre perpetrated against us on October 7. They aided, murdered and kidnapped. In practice, UNRWA is an arm of Hamas. Terrorists in disguise, under the auspices of the UN."

MK Limor Sonn Har Melech (Otzma Yehudit): “Let's not be confused and let's not use euphemisms. UNRWA is a terrorist organization for all intents and purposes. This is an organization that was a full partner to the massacre, kidnapping and murder on October 7, and today we are prescribing by law that there is no longer room for it in the State of Israel's territory."

The explanatory notes to the bill state: “The Law for Stopping the Activity of UNRWA stipulates, among other things, that none of the state authorities, including other bodies and people performing public duties by law, shall engage in any contact with UNRWA or its representatives.

“Within the implementation of the law, a question of interpretation arose with regard to the term prohibition of contact—does supplying electricity and water services constitute 'contact' that is prohibited by the law. In essence, due to the essential nature of the services, and because in other places in which stopping the supply of these services is permitted it is explicitly regulated by law, the legal position is that the law should not be interpreted in such a way that requires stopping the supply of these services.

“Therefore, it is proposed to amend the law, and to establish explicitly in legislation the provision that a service provider for supplying electricity or water will not supply to properties registered in its records under the name of UNRWA the aforesaid services."