Israel UNRWA ban regrettable, weakens UN says Tajani

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 29 - Israel's decision to ban the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA due to alleged links to Hamas is regrettable and weakens the United Nations, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Tuesday.
    The decision of the Israeli Parliament to ban the activities of UNRWA, he said in Ljubljana, "risks weakening the role of the UN.
    "We regret that this choice was made, even if we understand some of the reasons that provoke Israel's reaction: there were too many Hamas militants who participated in the massacre of 7 October among those who represented UNRWA.
    "I hope this never happens again and we are convinced that it will not happen", said Tajani, who is also deputy premier.
    He added: "We as the Italian government support the initiative of UNRWA not in Palestinian territory", where instead "we work very well with the WFP". (ANSA).