The United Nations and countries across the globe have denounced Israel after its parliament passed two laws that brands the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) a “terror” group and bans the humanitarian organisation from operating on Israeli soil.
The legislation was proposed by members of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, and it won the support of a solid majority of parliamentarians from across Israel’s political spectrum.
The legislation, if implemented, would prevent UNRWA from providing life-saving support to Palestinians across Israeli-occupied Gaza and the West Bank.
UNRWA was created by the UN General Assembly in 1949 to support Palestinian refugees expelled from their homes during the creation of Israel and it remains the main organisation providing humanitarian services in Gaza, and supports millions of Palestinians refugees in the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
Tamara Alrifai, Director of External Relations and Communications at UNRWA, said that if the Knesset laws are implemented, it means that most likely the international staff will no longer have visas to go to Israel or the occupied Palestinian territory. “No work permits will be given to our Palestinian colleagues and there will be no possibility to pass through Israeli checkpoints,” Alrifai added.
She also said that the laws will prevent UNRWA trucks, convoys and humanitarian supplies from crossing into the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, during the continuing humanitarian catastrophe.
She stressed that no coordination on the safety of the UNRWA operations will be possible with the Israeli government, adding that the agency’s premises will be taken over.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres called UNRWA’s work “indispensable” and said there is “no alternative” to the agency. “The implementation of the laws could have devastating consequences for Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is unacceptable,” he said, urging Israel to act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and its other obligations under international law.
UNRWA Chief, Philippe Lazzarini also said that the Knesset move opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.
The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X that it is “concerned about the humanitarian, political and legal implications” of the Israeli laws banning cooperation with UNRWA.
Also, Australian Foreign Minister, Penny Wong said that UNRWA does life-saving work and her government opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to “severely restrict” the agency’s operations.
“Australia again calls on Israel to comply with the binding orders of the [International Court of Justice] to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale in Gaza.”
Penny Wong
The governments of the four European countries, all of which have recognised Palestinian statehood, issued a joint statement condemning the Knesset’s targeting of the agency.
Fu Cong, the Chinese envoy to the UN, called the Israeli move “outrageous” where as Vasily Nebenzia, Russia’s UN Ambassador, described Israel’s UNRWA ban as “terrible” and said that it worsens the situation in Gaza.
A Precedent For Other Countries To Target UN Organisations
Mohamad Bazzi, of New York University, said that if Israel is permitted to “dismantle” UNRWA’s operations in Gaza and the occupied West bank, it will set a bad precedent for other countries.
“If Israel is allowed to get away with this, if it is allowed to implement this ban and if the UN does not take steps to counter that, if the United States and the Biden administration continue to defend Israel at the Security Council, continue to prevent Israel from paying any costs for flouting international law, we will see other member states of the UN take up this kind of impunity.
“UNRWA has been in Israel’s sights for many years, and Israel has used the post-October 7 environment – the war on Gaza… and the widening regional war – to put even more pressure on UNRWA, and now we see this Israeli attempt to essentially dismantle UNRWA in the Palestinian territories.”
Mohamad Bazzi
Meanwhile, UNRWA’s former General Counsel, Lex Takkenberg stated that the move to ban the key UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees was the latest attack by Israel on the entire UN system and a strong response was now necessary. “We should also consider that these legislative attacks come on top of numerous other attacks on the UN as a whole,” Takkenberg said, noting that Israel had attacked the UN secretary-general and had also urged the closure of the UN General Assembly.
