In fatal blow to Palestinian aid, 'Israel' bans UNRWA; chief hits back
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Earlier this month, the head of the UN relief agency for Palestinians stated that its operations in the Gaza Strip are nearing a breaking point due to increasingly challenging conditions.
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A member of the UN checks on the destruction at a school run by the UNRWA hit by Israeli bombardment in central Gaza on July 15, 2024. (AP)
"Israel" passed a law on Monday prohibiting the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) from working in "Israel", further hindering its efforts to aid the Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
The proposal has upset the United Nations and some of "Israel's" Western allies who believe it would exacerbate the already grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, where "Israel" has ruthlessly and repeatedly bombed civilians for the last year.
The restriction does not include operations in the Palestinian territory or abroad. UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, employs tens of thousands of people and provides education, health care, and humanitarian assistance to several million Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
"Israel" has frequently demanded that UNRWA be dismantled and its responsibilities moved to other UN organizations. Israeli lawmaker Sharren Haskel boldly claimed that since the UN is unwilling to "clean this organization from terrorism," Israeli measures must be taken.
Another lawmaker, Boaz Bismuth alleged that "if you really want stability, if you really want security, if you want real peace in the Middle East, organizations like UNRWA won't bring you there."
Juliette Touma, the main spokesperson for the organization, stated that previous attempts to replace the organization "failed miserably", adding that "it's outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a UN agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza."
The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and six other nations expressed in a joint statement issued by the UK Foreign Office on Sunday that "we, the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom, express our grave concern over legislation currently under consideration by the Israeli Knesset, aimed at revoking the privileges and immunities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East [UNRWA], forbidding any contact between Israeli state entities, officials and UNRWA, and prohibiting any UNRWA presence within Israel."
The foreign ministers warned that the absence of UNRWA's operations would significantly disrupt humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that UNRWA workers need to be held accountable for what he alleged were "terrorist activities", having the audacity to claim there must be humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza now and in the future, despite being the very person responsible for the blocking of aid for over 3 weeks from northern Gaza.
US cites deep concern over UNRWA legislation
The US, on its end, has apparently made it clear to the occupation that it is "deeply concerned" by the law to prohibit the operations of UNRWA, as it plays an "irreplaceable role" in aid delivery in Gaza.
According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Monday, humanitarian supplies are not reaching northern Gaza, something Washington allegedly opposes.
Mathew Miller is the same spokesperson who smirked while responding to a question about civilian casualties in Gaza and claimed that "Israel" has a "right to target civilians" after he was confronted by reporters about an Israeli attack on UNRWA.
In mid-October, Anthony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin addressed the Israeli occupation in a letter demanding that measures be taken to address the deteriorating situation in the Strip, giving it 30 days to do so.
UNRWA's Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini posted on X that the ban, which opposes the UN Charter and violates "Israel's" obligations under international law, will "only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, saying the effort is only the latest in the campaign of attempts to "discredit the agency and delegitimize its role."
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.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) October 28, 2024
This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit…
He asserted that the bill, which he described as "collective punishment", "will deprive over 650,000 girls & boys there of education, putting at risk an entire generation of children."
Earlier this month, the head of the UN relief agency for Palestinians stated that its operations in the Gaza Strip are nearing a breaking point due to increasingly challenging conditions.
Lazzarini told journalists at a news conference in Berlin, “I will not hide the fact that we might reach a point that we won’t be able to operate anymore," adding, “We are very near to a possible breaking point. When will it be? I don’t know. But we are very near to that."
He noted that the agency is confronted with a myriad of financial and political threats that risk its survival, alongside challenges in daily operations, as the need for aid grows more urgent due to the risks of disease and famine.
Lazzarini warned that as winter approaches, a genuine risk of famine or acute malnutrition is becoming likely, particularly with the people's immune systems weakened.
