There has been global outcry and many capitals have raised concerns over the Israeli parliament’s adoption of a bill banning UNRWA, the main United Nations aid agency working with Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The State of Qatar has also strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset’s move, considering it a dangerous precedent for the United Nations and multilateral action, and a terrifying development in the war of genocide waged by the occupation against the defenseless Palestinian people, and a continuation of its systematic targeting of the UN agency and its vital humanitarian activities. Qatar warned that banning UNRWA activities will lead to serious humanitarian and political consequences, especially depriving millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria of its necessary services. Doha has renewed its full support for UNRWA, based on its firm and supportive position towards the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The Israeli move to ban UNRWA is part of a series of Israeli actions to squeeze the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip, who are facing catastrophic humanitarian conditions after more than a year of Israel’s brutal military campaign. The Israeli offensive has left more than 43,000 Palestinians dead and more than a hundred thousand injured in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. The majority of the victims of Israeli bombardment have been women and children.
As the occupying power, Israeli has shown a consistent disregard for international law and norms in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
The UN Security Council has called on Israel to “abide by its international obligations” and “respect the privileges and immunities” of UNRWA, saying the agency was the “backbone” of humanitarian relief in war-ravaged Gaza. All the Council members including the United States have “strongly warned against any attempts to dismantle or diminish UNRWA’s operations and mandate.”
“Any interruption or suspension of its work would have severe humanitarian consequences for millions of Palestinian refugees who depend on the Agency’s services and also implications for the region,” it said.
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, said the Israeli laws are the “culmination of years of attack against the agency.” He said “the objective is to strip the Palestinian from refugee status.”
There is no alternative to UNRWA’S humanitarian operations in the Palestinian territories and restricting it would further aggravate the humanitarian conditions there. The world must act firmly to protect the multilateral system and UN’s humanitarian work everywhere including the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
