Israel’s decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) marks a “new level” in its war with the UN, the Palestinian envoy to the UN said. ‘UN.
The Israeli parliament or Knesset on Monday approved bills to ban UNRWA from operating in Israel.
UNRWA supports Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem, as well as neighboring countries.
Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that Knesset legislation to ban UNRWA “constitutes a new level in this war against the U.N. and part of a total attack against the Palestinian people.”
He highlighted how Israel had declared UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “persona non grata” – and killed, detained and tortured UN staff and UN peacekeepers.
Mansour noted that many countries have condemned Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA.
“And yet Israel is still among us using its headquarters to incite hatred against the UN… When will condemnations lead to action and accountability? Mansour questioned.
UNRWA has provided essential aid, education and health care throughout the Palestinian territory and to Palestinian refugees elsewhere for more than seven decades.
But since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza last October, the agency itself has suffered heavy losses, with at least 223 of its employees killed and two-thirds of its facilities in Gaza damaged or destroyed.
Danny Danon, Israel’s representative to the UN, told the Security Council that UNRWA in Gaza has become a front for Hamas, the Palestinian armed group.
Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and that it fosters anti-Israel sentiment among its staff, in its schools and in its broader social mission. UNRWA strongly disputes this characterization.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also in the past called on the United States, Israel’s main ally and the agency’s main donor, to withdraw its support.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini called the Israeli lawmakers’ vote a “dangerous precedent” and said it was the latest in an ongoing campaign to discredit the agency and “delegitimize its role in providing human development assistance and services to Palestinian refugees.”
Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA would represent a form of collective punishment for Gaza’s population if fully implemented, UN humanitarian office spokesman Jens Laerke said.
Russia, China, Qatar, European countries and rights organizations around the world also condemned the vote in the Israeli parliament.
From UN headquarters in New York, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Gabriel Elizondo said dozens of countries had expressed support for UNRWA.
“The UN Secretary-General has said he will raise this issue with the General Assembly (GA). There is some movement behind the scenes in the General Assembly to impose sanctions against Israel,” Elizondo added.
The Security Council session comes as Israel continues its bombing of Gaza, killing at least 115 people on Tuesday, including 109 in the north of the territory, according to Palestinian authorities.
“Israel has crossed every red line, broken every rule, defied every ban. When is enough really enough? When are you going to act? You are the Security Council. You must reach all those who suffer among the Palestinians. This is your duty,” Mansour said at the UN Security Council meeting.
“By ending impunity and ensuring accountability, by finally putting an end to this terrible injustice, may your actions match your words. Stop this genocide or remain silent forever.
