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Webinar: UNRWA – What Have We Learned and What Will Happen?

November 3, 2024
UKLFI Charitable Trust held a webinar on UNRWA: What Have We Learned and What Will Happen? with Dr Einat Wilf and Dr Adi Schwartz, chaired by Natasha Hausdorff on Sunday 10 November 2024.
Dr Einat Wilf and Dr Adi Schwartz wrote an important book titled “The War of Return” which was published in English in 2020.  In it they explained how UNRWA had created a permanent “refugee” problem and fostered the “right of return” of Palestinian “refugees” which is now a fundamental obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Events since October 2023 have also exposed the involvement of UNRWA staff and the use of UNRWA facilities and resources in terrorist activities.On 28 October 2024, the Knesset passed two Bills regarding UNRWA. The first, passed by a majority of 92-10 of the Knesset’s 120 members, prohibits any activity by UNRWA within Israel. The second, passed by 87-9, ends the agreement between Israel and UNRWA and prohibits any contact between Israeli government agencies or representatives and UNRWA as from 3 months following the enactment of the Bill.
The legislation has been fiercely criticised by UN bodies and Western governments, mainly on the ground that UNRWA is needed to provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians. However, Palestinians have complained that “the laws aim to liquidate the issue of refugees and their right to return”.Dr Wilf and Dr Schwartz gave a superb webinar moderated by Natasha Hausdorff when their book was published in 2020. We are delighted to have the team back to update us on the recent developments and to consider what may happen going forward.

TO VIEW ON YOUTUBE PRESS HERE

More about the Speakers

Dr. Einat Wilf is the author of seven books that explore key issues in Israeli society. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

Dr. Adi Schwartz is a researcher and author specializing in strategy and international relations, with a particular focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict. He serves as a consultant to both governmental and non-governmental organizations. He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ben-Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism in the Ben-Gurion University, and a Research Fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy.

Natasha Hausdorff is a barrister at 6 Pump Court Chambers and a frequent speaker on International Law. She has a law degree from Oxford University, qualified as a solicitor at Skadden, and subsequently gained an LLM from Tel Aviv University, focussing on public international law and the law of armed conflict.

She clerked for Miriam Naor, President of Israel’s Supreme Court, and was a Fellow at Columbia Law School’s National Security Program. Natasha is legal director of UKLFI Charitable Trust.