UNRWA ‘backbone of humanitarian response in Gaza’: UN Security Council
The UN Security Council has underscored that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees “remains the backbone of all humanitarian response” in the besieged coastal enclave.
In a statement adopted by consensus, the 15-member council also:
- Said that no organisation can replace or substitute UNRWA’s capacity and mandate to serve Palestinians in need.
- Warned against any attempts to dismantle or diminish UNRWA’s operations and mandate.
- Expressed concern over the Israeli ban on UNRWA and urged the Israeli government to abide by its international obligations.
- Demanded that all parties enable UNRWA to carry out its mandate.
- Called on all parties to “take necessary steps” to allow and facilitate aid to civilians in Gaza.
Banning UNRWA will lead to more suffering for Palestinians: Agency chief
The head of the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees says newly passed Israeli laws that in effect ban its activities in Israel and Palestine will leave a vacuum that will cost more lives and create further suffering in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner general of UNRWA, told The Associated Press in an interview that the laws are “ultimately against the Palestinians themselves” and deny them a provider of lifesaving services, education and healthcare.
He said the agency is looking for “creative ways to keep our operation going”.
There are alternatives to UNRWA’: Israel
Israel “remains committed to international law and to ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza through international organisations that are free of terrorist activity”, its Foreign Ministry says.
“There are alternatives to UNRWA,” it said in an X post, naming the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the World Health Organization.
UNRWA was established in 1949 by the UN General Assembly after the first Arab-Israeli war, shortly after the creation of Israel in May 1948 and the mass displacement of Palestinians it caused.
It runs health centres and schools in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as well as in neighbouring countries that host Palestinian refugees.
None of the alternatives have the capacity and are operating now by working with UNWRA. It's nothing but a ploy to restrict more aid.
The real alternative to UNWRA is a 2-state solution, but that will be decades to get there.
Medical group says Israel revoked ban on teams entering Gaza
Glia says it was informed it’s no longer banned from entry into Gaza by Israel, calling it a “positive step” that came as a “result of the incredible efforts of governments, organisations, and activists who came together to advocate for the banned organisations to regain access.”
In mid-October, the WHO said eight organisations and more than 50 specialist personnel were blocked from entering Gaza since August. This included Glia and the US nonprofit, the Palestinian American Medical Association.
“We remain extremely concerned that so many organisations, including ours, were arbitrarily banned in the first place. We were not given any rationale for our ban, nor its revocation,” Glia said in a statement.
“Banning our organisation is part of a concerted and escalating campaign of denying Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere their basic human rights to health and health care.”
Israel’s UNRWA ban ‘a breach of international law’: Norway
Espen Barth Eide told Al Jazeera Israel’s ban on UNRWA is an “absolutely very dramatic decision.”
“UNRWA is the backbone of all humanitarian efforts in Gaza and … the West Bank, in addition to the neighbouring countries,” he said. “The other humanitarian organizations, both the voluntary and the other UN organizations, are extremely clear in saying that they can simply not operate if UNRWA is not there.
“Norway has not only condemned this, we have also made clear that our view is that this decision is illegal under international law. Nobody stands above the law that also applies to Israel.
He said many countries have criticized and condemned the decision to ban UNRWA, but Norway has taken it a step further and is now presenting a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly.
It will ask the international court to evaluate whether Israel had the right to ban UNRWA, or whether it’s in violation of its obligations as an occupying force.
“Our argument is that even if the occupation of Palestine is illegal, which we know it is, there are certain obligations that you hold as long as you are an occupier. That means Israel shall provide … key essential humanitarian services and other types of life support for the Palestinian population.”
