Israel’s relationship with the United Nations has historically been strained, but over the past year, tensions have reached new levels. On October 28, the Israeli parliament (the Knesset) passed a law to prohibit operations of the UN’s relief and works agency (Unrwa) – the UN body responsible for Palestinian refugees – within the territory it controls.

Once they have entered into force, adopted bills will become ‘another form of collective punishment for millions of Palestinians,’ says Russian Foreign Ministry - Anadolu Ajansı

Passed 92-10, the bill would effectively prevents the UN Palestinian refugee agency, which Israeli leaders have accused of having ties to Hamas, from operating in Israel and East Jerusalem, halting essential services such as cleaning,

If the UN wants to be taken seriously as a source of aid to Palestinians, it should commit to overdue improvements in accountability and transparency in its aid organizations.