Brussels: Europe and the Arabs The European Union reiterated its concern about the far-reaching consequences of Israeli legislation on UNRWA on its operations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Gaza. The European Union condemns any attempt to abrogate the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA or to obstruct UNRWA’s ability to implement its mandate. This came in a European statement distributed in Brussels by the office of the Foreign Policy Coordinator Kaya Kallas regarding the entry into force of the Israeli Knesset legislation against UNRWA. The statement also stated: “The European Union stresses the role of the United Nations and its agencies, in particular UNRWA, which provide crucial support to the civilian population in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and throughout the region, including Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Providing basic services to Palestinian refugees is even more important now when there is a need for rapid implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the release of the hostages. The European Union is a staunch supporter of the United Nations and the rules-based multilateral international system of which UNRWA is a part. The European Union is committed to continuing its support to the Agency to allow it to fulfill its mandate. The European Union expects the full implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review Group report following the accusations against some UNRWA staff, and condemns Hamas’s use of UN facilities exposed by the Israeli hostages. We look forward to further decisive action by the United Nations to ensure impartiality and accountability and to strengthen oversight and supervision in order to Prevent further cases.