"Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat threatened to expel UNRWA from Jerusalem, in the first public statement by an Israeli official that called on the government to use its power to shut down the agency that services Palestinian refugees.
'UNRWA is a foreign and unnecessary organization that has failed miserably,' Barkat said in a speech he delivered Monday morning in Jerusalem at a conference sponsored by Channel 2. 'I intend to expel it from Jerusalem.'
Barkat explained that he had already instructed his municipal staff to come up with a plan to replace the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which he plans to present to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Barkat on Sunday publicly told the Jerusalem conference that UNRWA, which has been responsible for Jerusalem's Shuafat refugee camp since 1965, had been a harmful rather than helpful influence.
The mayor said the 30,000 Palestinians in Shuafat are dissatisfied with the organization's services, including welfare, cleaning and education.
Only one percent of the pupils there go to UNRWA schools, where incitement is high, he said.
'We will close their schools and provide pupils with hope,' said Barkat, adding the pupils could study for and take the matriculation exams in existing schools throughout the city..."