Palestinian presidency warns on dangers of Israeli legislation against UNRWA: Report
The Palestinian presidency has warned on the dangers of Israeli legislation against UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees), noting that the legislation violates international law and is a provocation to the international community, the Wafa news agency has reported.
“The presidency stressed that UNRWA is a red line, that the refugee issue is the core of the Palestinian issue, and that there is no solution without a just solution to the refugee issue in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and international law, noting that UNRWA was established according to a UN resolution on December 18, 1949,” Wafa said.
The Israeli Knesset is expected to vote today on two draft laws regarding UNRWA operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The first law would prohibit UNRWA from operating in occupied East Jerusalem, and the second would withdraw privileges and immunities granted to UNRWA employees.
Israel’s anti-UNRWA campaign part of ethnic cleansing in Palestine
Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA spokesman, told Al Jazeera that Israel’s campaign to dismantle the agency in Gaza is part of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
“This is another serious assault by Israel on the international rule of law and the international system itself. It is completely illegal,” he said.
Gunness also said that “the far-right Israeli politicians have been very clear that what they call Judea and Samaria – the land from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea – is for the Jews and by implication there should be no Palestinians there”.
“And of course, if UNRWA exists – the organisation which the international community has created to serve those Palestinians – then the ethnic cleansing cannot happen,” he said.
Israeli parliament bans UNRWA
The Israeli parliament has approved a pair of laws that bar the main United Nations agency aiding Palestinians - the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) - from operating in Israel and severely hampers its ability to operate in Gaza and the West Bank, despite international pressure.
• The first bill, which bars UNRWA from activity in Israel, was approved with 92 votes in favor, 10 against.
• The second bill, which bans Israeli authorities from any contact with UNRWA – and revokes the 1967 treaty between the two within seven days of its passing – was approved with 87 votes in favor, 9 against.
UNRWA supports around six million Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East, providing them with food, education, and medical services.
The bills do not bar the agency from operation in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, such as Gaza and areas of the West Bank controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
But by preventing staff and aid from transiting Israel, the two pieces of legislation mean that UNRWA would see its capacity to respond to events in Gaza and the West Bank significantly curtailed. The agency has long been a target of Israeli criticism, especially after the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack.
