The European Union has expressed deep concern over a draft law banning the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem, which is likely to reduce aid distribution in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Union urged Israel to ensure that UNRWA is allowed to continue its important work in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in line with its mandate from the United Nations.

Last July, the Knesset approved in the first reading three bills classifying UNRWA as a terrorist organization. Last Thursday, the occupation authorities seized the land on which the UNRWA headquarters is located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, transforming the site into a colonial outpost containing 1,440 housing units.

The European Union said in its statement: “If the draft law is adopted, it will have serious consequences, as it will prevent the United Nations agency from continuing to provide its services and protection to Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.”