Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said Thursday he plans to remove a U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees from the city, accusing the body of operating illegally and promoting incitement against Israel.
Barkat said schools, clinics and sports centers, among other services operated by UNRWA in east Jerusalem, will be transferred to Israeli authorities. The municipality did not provide an exact timeline but it said schools serving 1,800 students would be closed by the end of the current school year.
Barkat, who is planning to step down following municipal elections at the end of the month, said the U.S. decision to cut $300 million in aid to the agency earlier this year prompted the move.
"The U.S. decision has created a rare opportunity to replace UNRWA's services with services belonging to the Jerusalem Municipality. We are putting an end to the lie of the 'Palestinian refugee problem' and the attempts at creating a false sovereignty within a sovereignty," Barkat said in a statement, claiming the schools and clinics were illegal and operate without an Israeli license.
Jerusalem's municipality said the move was coordinated with the government.
UNRWA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
All the candidates vying for the mayor's seat in the upcoming municipal election have expressed support for Barkat's plan and pledged to implement it if elected.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in the past that there is no justification for a U.N. agency solely for Palestinian refugees and that UNRWA should be abolished. He suggested that the body's responsibilities be assumed by the main U.N. refugee agency.
Some in Israel have voiced even tougher criticism, accusing UNRWA of teaching hatred of Israel in its classrooms and tolerating or assisting Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has cut off funding to the agency, demanding extensive reforms before funding is restored.
