While Israel celebrates the cessation of UNRWA's operations in its territory, it appears that Jerusalem has opted to replace an organization accused of assisting terrorism with a similar one.
In a tender organized by the Ministry of Health to take over UNRWA's health services in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian Red Crescent emerged as the winner. However, the Palestinian Red Crescent has a troubling history of transporting and treating terrorists. How did this happen? Israel Hayom has learned that as part of the tender process, the Ministry of Health did not seek a security assessment regarding the Palestinian Red Crescent, and as a result, the Shin Bet did not provide its stance on the matter.
It also emerged that an initial recommendation had been sent by the Shin Bet before all the facts were clarified. After the situation was fully understood and the winner of the tender was announced without input from security officials, the organization decided not to issue a security-related recommendation to the Ministry of Health.
A new law proposed by MK Boaz Bismuth, which is expected to go into effect at the end of this month, mandates a complete severing of ties with UNRWA in Israeli territories. As a result, UNRWA workers in Jerusalem have begun relocating to Jordan. However, the Palestinian Red Crescent's entry into the picture is seen as a poor alternative, and this issue was raised during a follow-up discussion this week at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee regarding the implementation of laws related to UNRWA.
A source present at the discussion told Israel Hayom that the goal is primarily to address the fact that individuals from UNRWA were actively involved in the October 7th massacre. However, committee member MK Amit Halevi, who raised the issue in a query to the Ministry of Health, warned about the consequences. "If the Palestinian Red Crescent replaces UNRWA, we've simply swapped one problem for another. Even in Chalim (a fictional town), they wouldn't behave like this, certainly not after October 7th."
Halevi added, "The fact that the Shin Bet is not preventing the Palestinian Red Crescent - an organization that was involved in terrorist activities against Israel - from operating in Israel's capital raises serious concerns about lessons learned in the security establishment and jeopardizes the safety of Israeli citizens."
The Shin Bet responded by saying, "The agency was not involved in the tender process or in the decision about the winner, and it was only updated on the matter afterwards."
The Ministry of Health responded: "The Ministry of Health operates in accordance with its legal obligation to provide services to residents of East Jerusalem. The winning organization in the tender is a legally registered association in Israel that has been providing health services in East Jerusalem for many years. The ministry is examining the issue together with security officials. It should be noted that if security officials recommend that the ministry refrain from providing services through any entity, the ministry will act in accordance with those recommendations."
