Published: 18:24, October 29, 2024
Israel’s bills to ban UNRWA condemned as ‘fascist’
By Jan Yumul in Hong Kong
Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli strike on a school run by UNRWA, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees, in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, May 14, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

The international community has decried Israel’s ban on the United Nations’ Palestinian aid agency from operating within Israel and Palestinian areas under Israeli control, with some condemning the move as another step toward the “systematic erasure of Palestinian identity” and accusing Israel of turning into a “fascist” state.

Considered a lifeline for Palestinians, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was founded in 1949, has seen its future thrown into jeopardy following the “unprecedented” passing of a law by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Oct 28, with observers saying the sanction could have far-reaching humanitarian, legal, and political implications and set a dangerous precedent.

Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, said preventing UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the occupied Palestinian territory would have “devastating consequences for the Palestinian refugees”, and called on Israel to act consistently with its obligations under the Charter of the UN and international law.

“National legislation cannot alter those obligations. I am bringing this matter to the attention of the UN General Assembly and will keep the Assembly closely informed as the situation develops. There is no alternative to UNRWA,” said Guterres.

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Walaa Sabah, director of operations at We Are Not Numbers in Gaza, a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit, told China Daily that the Israeli parliament’s move delivers a clear message denying the right of return for Palestinians with refugee status, directly violating the UN charter and international law.

“Second, the UN stands as the primary advocate for refugee rights in Gaza. Without its support, Palestinians in Gaza would lose all humanitarian aid, effectively placing their lives under Israeli government control, and enabling a more systematic and complete erasure of Palestinian identity,” said Sabah.

Arie Afriansyah, associate professor at the Faculty of Law at Universitas Indonesia, told China Daily that such policy “will only make clearer” how desperate Israel is to “blame any party”.

Palestinian children who fled with their parents from their houses in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh, gather in the backyard of an UNRWA school, in Sidon, Lebanon, Sept 12, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

Palestinian Presidential Spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh rejected and condemned the new Israeli legislation, which he said, “aims to liquidate the issue of refugees and their right to return and compensation” and that "we will not allow it". He said the resolution was “not only against refugees, but against the UN and the world that made a decision to form UNRWA”.

He also said that the overwhelming vote of the Knesset shows that Israel has turned into a “fascist state”, as the anti-Palestinian mindset involves not just a few ministers “but represents the so-called state of Israel”.

Palestinian militant group Hamas described the new law banning UNRWA as being “part of the Zionist war and aggression against our people”. Several countries including Jordan, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain also condemned the Israeli legislation.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said he was "gravely concerned", and that the law risks making UNRWA’s "essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardizing the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza", the BBC News reported.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong posted on her X account acknowledging UNRWA “does life-saving work”. Australia “opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to severely restrict UNRWA’s work”, said Wong.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA, said in a post on social media platform X that the Knesset’s vote was 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,” said Lazzarini as he accused Israel of enforcing it as a collective punishment.

“Failing to push back these bills will weaken our common multilateral mechanism established after World War 2. This should be a concern to all,” he added.

Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam Regional Director in the Middle East and North Africa, noted in a statement that Israel “has bombed Palestinians to death, maimed them, starved them”, and is now “ridding them of their biggest lifeline of aid”.

“We are in no doubt that Israel and its allies are fully aware of the terrible consequences that this decision will have on Palestinians living in Gaza, many of whom are already starving. We join others in warning again that this will result in more death, more suffering, and more forced displacement of people from their besieged homeland. It is impossible not to believe that this is their aim,” said Abi Khalil.

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The Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset, passed a law on Oct 28 that stipulates that the UNRWA will not operate any representation, provide services, or conduct any activities, directly or indirectly, within Israeli territory, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Israel’s justification for the legislation cited past UNRWA staff members for their involvement in the Hamas-led Oct 7 attacks against Israel which killed 1200 people and more than 250 were taken hostages.

The UN in August identified nine UNRWA staff they would sack because they may have been involved in the attacks last October, following a UN Office of Oversight Services (OIS) investigation launched this year based on Israeli allegations. But the UN also said the OIOS was not able to independently authenticate information used by Israel to support the allegations.

In a post on its official X account, the Israeli prime minister’s office said that in the 90 days before the legislation comes into effect and after, “we stand ready to work with our international partners” to ensure Israel continues facilitating humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that “does not threat Israel’s security”.

Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com