Israeli to ban all contact with UNRWA
On 28 October the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) voted to declare the UN relief and works agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) a terrorist group and banned any direct interaction between it and the Israeli state. The Knesset banned the agency, which operates in Israel according to a 1967 treaty, from conducting “any activity” or providing any service inside Israel, including the areas of annexed East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.
Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General posted the following on his official X account, previously known as Twitter:
The vote by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) against UNRWA this evening is unprecedented and sets a dangerous precedent. It opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.
This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine Refugees.
These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell.
It will deprive over 650,000 girls and boys there from education, putting at risk an entire generation of children.
These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians and are nothing less than collective punishment.
Putting an end to UNRWA and its services will not strip the Palestinians from their refugee status. That status is protected by another UN General Assembly resolution until a fair and lasting solution is found to the plight of the Palestinians.
Failing to push back these bills will weaken our common multilateral mechanism established after World War 2.
This should be a concern to all.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made the following statement on the UNRWA bills that Israel’s Knesset has passed.
The UK is gravely concerned at the UNRWA bills that Israel’s Knesset has passed. This legislation risks making UNRWA‘s essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardising the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza and delivery of essential health and education services in the West Bank.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is simply unacceptable. We need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a significant increase in aid to Gaza.
Under its international obligations, Israel must ensure sufficient aid reaches civilians in Gaza.
Only UNRWA can deliver humanitarian aid at the scale and pace needed. We pay tribute to the 222 UNRWA staff who have lost their lives in the conflict. UNRWA has a UN mandate to support Palestinian refugees. We urge Israeli lawmakers to ensure that UNRWA can continue to deliver its essential work.