Israel plans to remove UN agency for Palestinian refugees from Jerusalem – officials

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Friday expressed concern after Jerusalem’s Israeli mayor said he would remove it from the city. Mayor Nir Barkat announced in a statement the previous day a “detailed plan to remove UNRWA from Jerusalem and replace its services with municipal services,” AFP reports. UNRWA said such a move would affect its humanitarian operations and installations in east Jerusalem. The agency runs schools and health centers particularly in the Shuafat refugee camp where it says 24,000 Palestinians are estimated to live. Israel and the United States object to the fact that Palestinians can pass refugee status to their children, and want the number of refugees covered by the agency to be sharply reduced.