The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed today, Monday, the Union's rejection of describing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as a "terrorist organization," stressing its continued work with donors to support the agency.

This came during a joint press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Oliver Varhelyi, on the sidelines of the 15th meeting of the Jordanian-European Partnership Council in Brussels.

Borrell said: We reject describing UNRWA as a terrorist organization, and we will continue with donors to support it, and we stress the importance of the partnership between Jordan and the European Union at various levels.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli Knesset approved, in preliminary reading last May, a draft law requiring UNRWA to be declared a “terrorist organization,” which was submitted by Knesset member Yuliya Milinovsky from the Yisrael Beiteina party.

The draft law, which was supported by 42 members of the Knesset and six opposed, stipulates that the “Anti-Terrorism Law” applies to the United Nations agency, UNRWA, and “all communications and relations between Israel and its citizens and UNRWA shall be halted, and the agency’s offices in Israel shall be closed.” It will also apply to The United Nations agency covers the provisions of the Penal Code that apply to “terrorist organizations.”

An independent review of UNRWA's performance concluded that there was "no alternative" to the agency, stressing that Israel did not provide evidence of the allegations of UNRWA's lack of impartiality and the participation of its employees in the events of last October 7.

A report submitted by the Independent Review Group on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that the agency has established a large number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure its commitment to humanitarian principles, focusing on the principle of neutrality.

The review committee was headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, commissioned by the United Nations and with the participation of three research institutes. The report concluded that UNRWA follows a more advanced approach to neutrality than any other similar international or non-governmental body, and that it developed a framework for neutrality in 2017. While it has developed and updated a large number of policies, mechanisms and measures to ensure compliance with the principle of neutrality, respond promptly and appropriately to allegations or indicators of violations, and define and apply disciplinary sanctions on employees who are proven to have violated the principles of neutrality.