Palestinian Territory – Euro-Med Monitor strongly condemns the Israeli parliament's two new laws banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and barring Israeli authorities from interacting with the organisation. These laws represent a direct attack on the United Nations, international law, and humanity, and put millions of Palestinian refugees at risk of deprivation of what remains of their basic human rights.
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, overwhelmingly approved two draft laws that would effectively and completely remove the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The first law forbids the organisation from operating in East Jerusalem, while the second law effectively paralyses the organisation's operations in the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip by forbidding communication between the agency and Israeli authorities. Given Israel's complete control over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, evidenced by its military checkpoints and barriers throughout the West Bank; Palestinians' need for permits to enter or work in East Jerusalem; and the arbitrary siege of the Gaza Strip; the agency will not be able to function and carry out its activities without coordination with Israel.
Israel's elimination of UNRWA is intended to prolong famine and deny the Gaza Strip's population access to essential services in the context of the ongoing genocide
In the Gaza Strip, over two million Palestinians—the majority of whom are refugees—face imminent death due to Israeli crimes of starvation as well as deprivation of medical care and basic life-saving materials amid ongoing killings, attacks, and suffering due to widespread physical injuries. UNRWA will likely become unable to provide humanitarian aid, education, health care, and other basic services that serve as the main lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees, half of whom are children. As a result, Israel is denying these individuals of their basic rights.
Israel's insistence on legalising its years-long series of actions against UNRWA is tantamount to declaring war on the Palestinian refugee community, one of the most vulnerable groups in Palestinian society. At a time when they are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, Israel continues to prevent them from returning to the homes and lands from which they were forcibly displaced. The majority of these refugees are experiencing a serious decline in all aspects of their lives as a result of Israel's genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, ongoing for more than a year now, as well as its military actions and all-encompassing siege.
Israel is determined to demonstrate to the world that it sets itself above the United Nations, UN agencies, and international law in general, and has consistently maintained a hostile posture toward UNRWA, accusing the UN agency of sustaining the Palestinian refugee crisis by granting refugee status to generations.
Following a string of earlier crimes by Israel, such as the killing of 233 UNRWA staff members in the Gaza Strip and the destruction of roughly two-thirds of its facilities in the enclave, UNRWA's work will be further undermined by Israel's new ban. This is a dark chapter in the history of the global system, which is headed by the UN. The intergovernmental organisation has failed to defend even its own agencies, workspaces, and decisions.
In an attempt to end the Palestinian refugee crisis, evade its legal obligations, and avoid any future legal ramifications, Israel is taking advantage of the shameful international silence surrounding all of its crimes. Its elimination of UNRWA is intended to prolong famine and deny the Gaza Strip's population access to essential services in the context of the ongoing genocide, forcing the Strip's inhabitants to relocate and thereby paving the way for Israel's proposed "solutions"—all of which infringe upon the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and to sovereignty over their territory. Israel's most recent efforts have involved separating the populace into distinct, fenced-in, and besieged communities, and then contracting with private American businesses to distribute humanitarian supplies.
In its recent advisory opinion on the illegality of Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, the International Court of Justice stated that closing UNRWA's headquarters in East Jerusalem—illegally occupied Palestinian territory—is a blatant violation of both the UN Charter and international law. Additionally, the application of Israeli laws in this area is a violation of both the rules of international law and Israel's obligations as an occupying power.
Furthermore, Israeli legal experts violate the International Court of Justice's ruling, which includes precautionary measures related to facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians through the United Nations. Israel's actions will further hinder the UN agency's work and put the entire international humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, which is experiencing alarming levels of food insecurity and famine, at risk.
Despite the fact that the two laws against UNRWA will go into effect 90 days after they are passed, the Israeli Knesset has claimed that the organisation is a vital lifeline for the Palestinian people, because it offers social, health, and educational services to approximately 5.7 million Palestinian refugees spread across camps in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, and Syria.
An estimated 1.7 million people, or more than 70% of the Palestinian refugee population, are refugees in the Gaza Strip who rely on UNRWA's services to help them manage their lives in the wake of the Israeli blockade that has been in place since 2006.
Since its founding in 1949 to aid Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, UNRWA has played a significant role on the global stage. It has both provided services and served as a symbol to remind the international community of its obligation to address the Palestinian refugee problem in a just and lasting way while also meeting the population's humanitarian needs and ensuring its safety.
The legal status that international law guarantees Palestinian refugees has not been, and will not be, impacted by Israel's repeated attempts to abolish UNRWA or its total and categorical denial of its legal obligations to these refugees after causing them suffering for more than 70 years.
By prohibiting UNRWA's operations, Israel is disregarding all international calls to guarantee the entry of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip and stop the famine there from worsening.
The world's nations, including the United States—which has not yet resumed funding the international organisation—must publicly support UNRWA, fully fund it, and demand that Israel repeal the new laws intended to stop the agency's work. Israel must also be compelled by the international community to permit UNRWA and other international humanitarian agencies to continue operating in the Gaza Strip and across the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory.
