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UN expresses alarm as Palestinian aid agency Unrwa banned from operating in Israel

Politicians who drafted law cite involvement of some Unrwa staffers in October 7th, 2023, attack by Hamas on southern Israel, and on some staffers having membership of armed groups

A truck that had been used by Unrwa workers is loaded onto another truck after it was destroyed and two Palestinian workers were killed in an Israeli air strike on Salah Al Dine road between Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip last week. Photograph: Mohammed Saber/EPA
A truck that had been used by Unrwa workers is loaded onto another truck after it was destroyed and two Palestinian workers were killed in an Israeli air strike on Salah Al Dine road between Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip last week. Photograph: Mohammed Saber/EPA
Mon Oct 28 2024 - 22:14

Israel passed a law on Monday banning the UN Palestinian refugee agency from operating in the country – legislation that could impact its work in war-torn Gaza.

The politicians who drafted the law cited the involvement of some staffers from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) in the October 7th, 2023, attack by Hamas on southern Israel, and on some staffers having membership of Hamas and other armed groups.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin “strongly condemned” the decision. “Such a move would be unacceptable and have grave consequences for Palestinians. The international community must stand against this,” he said.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said the decision was “disastrous and shameful”.

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“It’ll go down in history as the moment Israel voted to cut off an irreplaceable humanitarian pipeline to a humanitarian disaster zone,” he said.

The legislation has alarmed the United Nations and some of Israel’s western allies who fear it would further worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas militants for more than a year. The ban does not refer to operations in the Palestinian territories or elsewhere. Unrwa employs tens of thousands of workers and provides education, health and aid services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

It has long had tense relations with Israel, but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza and Israel has called repeatedly for Unrwa to be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies. The UN said in August that nine Unrwa staff may have been involved in the October 7th assault and had been fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon who was killed last month in an Israeli strike was found to have had an Unrwa job. Another commander killed in Gaza last week had doubled as an aid worker.

“If the United Nations is not willing to clean this organisation from terrorism, from Hamas activists, then we have to take measures to make sure that they cannot harm our people ever again,” said Israeli politician Sharren Haskel.

“The international community could have taken responsibility and made sure that they used the proper organisations to facilitate humanitarian aid, like the World Food Organization, like Unicef, and many others who work all around the world,” Ms Haskel said.

A spokesperson for Unrwa said prior to the vote that the proposed law would be a “disaster” and would have a serious impact on humanitarian operations in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank.

“We know that previous attempts that aimed at replacing Unrwa and providing humanitarian assistance have failed miserably,” said Juliette Touma, the main spokesperson for the organisation.

[ Amid Israeli pressure to dismantle it, the Unrwa is indispensable to Palestinians ]

"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 law would likely directly impact Unrwa institutions in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognised abroad.

Another of the law’s authors, Boaz Bismuth, said Unrwa’s work there has been counterproductive for years. “If you really want stability, if you really want security, if you want real peace in the Middle East, organisations like Unrwa won’t bring you there,” said Mr Bismuth. Israel has faced heavy international pressure to do more to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to get more aid to people displaced by Israel’s campaign.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer said the UK was “gravely concerned” by the Israeli Knesset’s approval of the legislation. He said: “This legislation risks making Unrwa’s essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardising the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza and delivery of essential health and education services in the West Bank.”

Before the legislation was passed, the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Australia issued a statement expressing “grave concern”.

“It is crucial that Unrwa and other UN organisations and agencies be fully able to deliver humanitarian aid and their assistance to those who need it most, fulfilling their mandates effectively,” the statement said. – Reuters